Big Ten Football Power Rankings 2017: Week 6 edition

In 2016, Rutgers played Ohio State in Columbus and left after being beat 58-0. Well good news, Scarlet Knight fans. This season you only lost to Ohio State 56-0.

The Buckeyes ran up and down the field to the tune of 628 yards. Rutgers could do little to stop them. The Scarlet Knights only could muster 209 yards total offense. In two seasons against his former team, Chris Ash’s teams have not managed a point and the Knight’s conference losing streak has extended to 16.

There is not much positive to say about Rutgers. They can remain sem- competitive against the mediocre teams of the league. However when playing the big boys of the conference, they get crushed. The Knights were surprisingly competitive against Washington in the opening week, but now that should be chalked up to Washington’s jet lag from making the trip east and the first week jitters. Rutgers is a bad team and does not look to be getting any better. They thankfully cannot lose this upcoming week with a bye.

Illinois had two weeks to prepare for a Nebraska team going through a rough September. The Illini managed two field goals. Break out the sarcastic clapping.

Illinois was never in this game. They finished with a putrid 199 yards of total offense while giving up 411 and they just couldn’t sustain many drives. Quarterback Chayce Crouch continues to struggle, only throwing for 99 yards. Their rushing attack is not any better. When the Illini cut the Husker lead to 21-6, they recovered a fumble on the Cornhuskers 28 yard line. The small glimmer of hope was dashed when Illinois proceeded to lose 14 yards on the next three plays and punted.

Like Rutgers, this is a really bad team. Next Saturday, the Illini travel to Iowa to take on a Hawkeyes team that will be mad after two straight losses. Could be a rough day for Illinois.

After finishing non-conference play 1-2 and the firing of their athletic director, Nebraska has won two conference games in a row. Granted it was Rutgers followed by Illinois, but it is a step in the right direction.

Quarterback Tanner Lee threw for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Probably the most important stat was no interceptions thrown. Running back Devine Ozigbo also had a solid game, rushing for 106 yards on 18 carries and scoring a touchdown. The Nebraska defense also held Illinois under 200 total yards.

Nebraska still has a lot of issues to work out and it is unclear if head coach Mike Riley will survive with his job this season. However the season is not over yet and the Huskers welcome Wisconsin this Saturday night. Lincoln is not an easy place to play at night so perhaps Nebraska could pull an upset.