Big Ten Football: Five make cut in Top 25 AP Poll
The college football Top 25 AP Poll was released on Sunday. For the second week in a row, the Big Ten had five ranked teams in the AP Poll. Unfortunately, for Husker fans, Nebraska football is not close to being part of this elite group of football programs. However, they will have a chance to knock off a few ranked teams by the end of the season.
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Once again, the No.1 Ohio State Buckeyes kept the top spot by garnering 38 first place votes. Despite a seven point win over Indiana, the Buckeyes have the largest number of first place votes in college football. However, they were a unanimous No.1 team at the start of the season.
The No.4 Michigan State Spartans dropped two spots after surviving against the Purdue Boilermakers. After jumping out to a 21 point halftime lead, Michigan State let Purdue have the ball with a chance to win or send the game to overtime. However, the Spartans’ defense was not ready to be part of the biggest upset in 2015.
Ezekiel Elliott
While the Buckeyes and the Spartans are at the top of the rankings, the rest of the Big Ten ranked teams are still fighting for respect. One of the more surprising teams this season is No.13 Northwestern. The Wildcats moved up three spots, after destroying Minnesota in a 27-0 shutout. Right now, the Wildcats are the favorite in the Big Ten West. Defensively, they’ve been lights out in every game. So far, their offense has done enough to remain undefeated.
The No.18 Michigan Wolverines (4-1) are another surprising team out of the Big Ten. For the second week in row, the Wolverines won via shutout. Their only blemish was a seven point loss to Utah in the season opener.
The No.22 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0) joined the Top 25 AP Poll for the first time this season. Iowa forced four turnovers during a 10-6 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener.
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The rest of the Big Ten did not receive a vote this week. The Cornhuskers lost three games so far, by a combined nine points. Their end of game debacles have certainly been a let down for the Big Ten conference strength. One team that should have been rewarded for their performance this season is Indiana. The Hoosiers were undefeated entering their game with the Buckeyes, and played them to a standstill for 60 minutes. However, a team like the Hoosiers aren’t going to get the benefit of the doubt.
Here’s the entire Top 25 AP Poll breakdown. There’s also the breakdown of the Top 25 coaches poll.
1. Ohio State (38 first-place votes)
2. TCU (5)
3. Baylor (10)
4. Michigan State
5. Utah (7)
6. Clemson
7. LSU
8. Alabama
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. Florida
12. Florida State
13. Northwestern
14. Ole Miss
15. Notre Dame
16. Stanford
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. Georgia
20. UCLA
21. Oklahoma State
22. Iowa
23. Cal
24. Toledo
25. Boise State