Big Ten Power Football: Week 5 Power Rankings

As conference play began in the Big Ten, teams finally got their chance to see how they match up against the teams they’re fighting for a Big Ten Championship with.

Teams like Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa all battled to move up in the conference. As Big Ten play finally gets under way, the Big Ten power rankings will begin to take full shape.

14. Illinois

Week 5 result – 31-16 loss to Nebraska 

A lot of Big Ten teams came into conference play and stunned the college football world. Unfortunately, Illinois was not one of those teams.

Their 31-16 loss to Nebraska was expected, which didn’t hurt them much. But if the Fighting Illini were able to pull off an upset, they could’ve taken a significant leap in the Big Ten power rankings. Instead, they continue to sit at the bottom of the conference with little sign of improving.

Lovie Smith has some big-time recruits headed to Illinois next season. But he better get used to Illinois being a bottom feeder in the conference for the rest of the year.