CFB: Michigan makes up a little ground

1. Ohio State (6-0, 3-0, win over #25 Michigan State): This team is so good. They struggled in the first quarter, scoring just three points against Michigan State but they capitalized on opportunities in the second quarter with 24 points. Justin Fields threw his first interception of the year but that's not a big deal. JK Dobbins finished with 172 yards and one score in the win. The Buckeyes are off next week before heading to Northwestern after that.

2. Wisconsin (5-0, 3-0, win over Kent State): Not really a lot to say from the Badgers' win over Kent State. Wisconsin is inarguably the second best team in the league and they'll get a chance to vault to the top spot in two weeks when they go up against Ohio State on the road. Before that, though, the Badgers get to face Michigan State. Jonathan Taylor, who went for 186 yards against Kent State, will look to continue his incredible rushing pace.

3. Penn State (5-0, 2-0, win over Purdue): It's still hard to tell exactly where this team is because they're the best team to not play anyone. Maryland, who lost to Temple, is their best win. James Franklin's team gets a chance to prove me wrong (again) when they head to play #17 Iowa this weekend. Sean Clifford was really good again in their warmup game versus Purdue, going for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

4. Minnesota (5-0, 2-0, win over Illinois): The same thing I said about Penn State applies here, except Minnesota is even worse. This is the first power five conference team since 2015 (Iowa) that started the season 5-0 and remained unranked in the Associated Press poll. I think the Golden Gophers are a good team but they aren't great and eventually their schedule will catch up with them. They get a chance for a good win against Nebraska next.

5. Michigan (4-1, 1-1, win over #14 Iowa): Not really sure what to take from this game other than that Michigan is now 8-20 against ranked opponents under Jim Harbaugh. As good as the defense looked, the offense looked bad. Don Brown seemed to have Nate Stanley's number all day and Josh Metellus was all over the field with six tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception in the 10-3. But still, Shea Patterson has to be better against Illinois and beyond.

6. Iowa (4-1, 1-1, loss at #19 Michigan): I thought there were times on Saturday that Iowa was the better team but they couldn't capitalize on red zone opportunities and they wasted a great defensive showing. As talented as I think Nate Stanley is, I put a lot of this loss on his shoulders. He had a solid 260 yards but three interceptions cost them the game. Iowa will chance a chance to rebound, though, as they host undefeated Penn State.

7. Michigan State (4-2, 2-1, loss at #4 Ohio State): The Spartans look like they're done. Best case scenario, this team is going to finish 8-4. It's not exactly the bounce back season they had in mind after going 7-6 last year. It seems like another waste of a great defense. They held Ohio State to a combined three points in the first and third quarter and didn't lead for one second. Let's see if they can slow down Taylor and Wisconsin.

8. Nebraska (4-2, 2-1, win over Northwestern): It's hard to figure out what Nebraska is. One week they look great and the offense is clicking and the next week, they put up 13 points against the third worse team in the conference. I guess at the end of the day, the Cornhuskers are just average. Nothing more and nothing less. They should win seven games which is a step in the right direction. A win this weekend over Minnesota would actually be impressive.

9. Maryland (3-2, 1-1, win over Rutgers): Maryland is like a lot of teams in the power five in which they beat up on the teams they should and lose pretty much every game that is remotely challenging. Not to mention that they got obliterated on national television against Penn State a few weeks back (in a game that I picked them for some reason). No matter what this team turns out to be, they absolutely have to show up versus Purdue in a couple days.

10. Indiana (3-2, 0-2, bye week): Not much to say about the Hoosiers. They are in the same boat as Maryland but I think the Terps have more talent on the roster. Indiana got a week off before playing Rutgers, for whatever that is worth. They probably could have beat Rutgers on two days rest but now they're a bit healthier which is always a positive. Peyton Ramsey is close to getting this team to a bowl game which is something they've just missed on in recent years.

11. Illinois (2-3, 0-2, loss at Minnesota): Brandon Peters isn't a great quarterback by any stretch of the imagination but he is a quality starter and he should be able to out-gain Tanner Morgan, who finished with just 155 yards. Peters has to be able to push the ball downfield, which will open up the running game. The horrible defense didn't help either as they gave up 211 rushing yards to Rodney Smith. Peters hosts his former team Michigan this weekend.

12. Northwestern (1-4, 0-3, loss at Nebraska): Hunter Johnson looks even less like a five-star quarterback than Shea Patterson does. It's not a good look to finally get a QB of Johnson's recruiting caliber and this is what happens. I'm not saying it's Pat Fitzgerald's fault but it certainly doesn't look good for other high level recruits. The team scored just 10 points against Nebraska. They'll get a chance to regroup during their bye.

13. Purdue (1-4, 0-2, loss at #12 Penn State): I actually feel really bad for Purdue because of all their injuries. It always seems like there is one team every year that just has their season thrown away because injuries. Last year Michigan State and Wisconsin caught the bug. This year it's the Boilermakers. They're missing their best player Rondale Moore and it doesn't stop there. Slow starts, getting down 21-0 against Penn State, has been a bad habit for this team.

14. Rutgers (1-4, 0-3, loss versus Maryland): No way to turn around this program. They're just not good. It's actually kind of surprising that the Big Ten even wanted them. And somehow, the Scarlet Knights have gotten even worse since coming into the conference. They can fire Chris Ash and do whatever they please but there's no way this team is going to compete at all. Their goal should be to win two more games. That would actually be a quality year for them.

Photo Credit: Saturday Tradition.