Week 5 for Big Ten Football was filled with drama, surprises and an instant classic, that determined who the favorite was to win the conference.
Only nine Big Ten teams were in action on Saturday, providing little change to our conference power rankings. Northwestern almost pulled off the upset over Michigan but the Wolverines would prevail. Purdue picked up their second win in a row against Nebraska, who is still looking for their first win of the season. Indiana fended off a late comeback from a disappointing Rutgers team. And although the score says otherwise, Michigan State took care of business in their final non-conference game.
But the game of the week in not only the Big Ten, but in all of college football, was the headline for Week 5. In a game that was thought to be a shootout, saw both defenses make big plays and keep this one under 60 points scored. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-26, giving us a clear number one atop our rankings. And even though Penn State led for most of the game and seemed to have outplayed the Buckeyes for three and half quarters, poor tackling and a highly questionable play call on their final play, put the Nittany Lions on the losing end.
The Big Ten still has some big time games to change the outcome of the conference, but for now, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the undisputed favorite to not only win the conference title, but to make the College Football Playoff. So as they stand alone at the top of our power rankings, let’s see how the rest of the field plays out.