Big Ten football power rankings Week 6: The West division is wide open

The good news for Rutgers? They scored first against Ohio State, leading 7-0 early. The bad news is they only notched a field goal the rest of the way as the Buckeyes romped the Knights 49-10.

It is a tough ask for any team to go into Columbus and look competitive, much less a team that is rebuilding. Despite the lopsided loss, Rutgers appears better than it did a year ago. They have a winnable game next against Nebraska.

The wheels may have come off the bus in East Lansing. It is now three straight losses for the Spartans after their loss to Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan State’s defense again was not good enough as they allowed 27 points on 489 yards. Maryland was able to do most of what it wanted to do. The Spartans also lack an offensive identity. The upcoming schedule is brutal. Will the Spartans miss a bowl this season? It is quite possible.

Speaking of no identity on offense, Iowa continued their offensive woes on Saturday in a 27-14 home loss to Michigan. The loss cannot really be blamed on quarterback Spencer Petras, who had a decent game by his standards. But the Hawkeyes could not establish a run game and the defense could not produce a single takeaway.

Iowa will look to get back in the win column next week. Unfortunately for them, they go on the road to surging Illinois.