Big Ten Football Power Rankings (Week 5): Did a QB Change Save Michigan's Season?

Michigan ran all over USC in a 27-24 win. Was Alex Orji the answer at quarterback all along? Can the Wolverines run through the Big Ten again?

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings celebrates a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown against USC / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Has Michigan re-established itself as a Big Ten contender? It might be too early to tell, but the Wolverines picked up a massive home win over USC on Saturday, quieting some of the critics.

Michigan ran all over USC's defense, piling up 290 yards on the ground on the way to a 27-24 win in Ann Arbor. After struggling through the first three games, the Wolverines finally looked like a team that could compete at the top of the Big Ten.

How much did the Wolverines climb this week? Here's the latest Big Ten power rankings.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Record: 3-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 1 (no change)
• Last week: Ohio State 49, Marshall 14
• This week: Ohio State vs. Michigan State
• Location: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
• Time & TV: 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: Is there really anything else to say about Ohio State right now? The Buckeyes have dominated all three nonconference opponents (Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall) and cruised to a 3-0 record. The challenges are about to get a little tougher as Ryan Day's team enters Big Ten play, traveling to Michigan State this weekend. Right now, Ohio State looks like the best team in the conference. They still haven't really been tested to this point in the year.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Record: 3-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 3 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Penn State 56, Kent State 0
• This week: Illinois vs. Penn State
• Location: Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC)
• The skinny: Penn State returns to the No. 2 spot after a thoroughly dominant performance against Kent State. Yes, that's how the Nittany Lions are supposed to play against a MAC opponent, but have you ever seen a yardage disparity of 718 to 67? What about 40 first downs to 6? Quarterback Drew Allar has played really well through three games, throwing for 729 yards and eight touchdowns. But he's about to play an opportunistic and aggressive Illinois defense. This will be Penn State's toughest task yet, so we'll see if James Franklin's team is worthy of the No. 2 spot soon.

3. Oregon Ducks

• Record: 3-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 4 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Oregon vs. UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 11 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: The last time we saw Oregon, it flexed its muscle against in-state rival Oregon State. The Ducks had plenty of areas to address in the off week, especially along the offensive line. If Oregon wants to challenge Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten, it needs to build off that performance against the Beavers from two weeks ago.

4. Michigan Wolverines

• Record: 3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 7 (up 3 spots)
• Last week: Michigan 27, USC 24
• This week: Minnesota vs. Michigan
• Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Did the quarterback change potentially save Michigan's season? Alex Orji replaced Davis Warren this weekend and led the Wolverines to a critical 27-24 victory over USC. Orji only threw for 32 yards on seven completions, but his ability to run the football kept the Trojans off balance for most of the game. Michigan running back Kalel Mullings had a monster outing, piling up 159 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner. Can the Wolverines continue to run the football this effectively throughout the course of a Big Ten season?

5. Illinois Fighting Illini

• Record: 4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 6 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Illinois 31, Nebraska 24 (OT)
• This week: Illinois vs. Penn State
• Location: Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC)
• The skinny: Now with wins over Kansas and Nebraska, Illinois is playing like one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten right now. The Fighting Illini defense racked up five sacks and seven tackles for loss in an overtime win over the Huskers. Defensive back Xavier Scott is playing like the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year through four games. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has thrown 10 touchdown passes without an interception. The next test for Bret Bielema's squad? A night game against Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

6. USC Trojans

• Record: 2-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 2 (down 4 spots)
• Last week: Michigan 27, USC 24
• This week: Wisconsin vs. USC
• Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
• The skinny: USC falls four spots after Saturday's loss to Michigan. Is that too far? Maybe. But the Trojans' defense really struggled against the rushing attack, allowing the Wolverines to rack up 290 yards on the ground on 46 carries. You have to be able to stop that to be successful in the Big Ten. Lincoln Riley still has a really good football team, but there's some work to be done to compete in the top tier of the conference.

7. Indiana Hoosiers

• Record: 4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 8 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Indiana 52, Charlotte 14
• This week: Maryland vs. Indiana
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: It's not even October yet and Curt Cignetti has Indiana two wins away from bowl eligibility. The Hoosiers have blown out all four of their opponents, posting an average margin of victory of 41.3 points. Indiana is also averaging 50.5 points per game, second-best in the Big Ten. Because of the level of competition, it's still hard to tell just how good the Hoosiers are this season. They're lightyears ahead of where they were the previous two years, though, and a postseason berth appears to be a lock at this point. That's a significant accomplishment in Cignetti's first year.

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Record: 3-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 5 (down 3 spots)
• Last week: Illinois 31, Nebraska 24 (OT)
• This week: Nebraska vs. Purdue
• Location: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: What happened to Nebraska's defense on Friday night? The Huskers missed tackles, got picked apart in the secondary and had a few silly, costly penalties. Those are the mistakes Nebraska can't make if it wants to win the close games that have haunted the program for several years. This weekend, Nebraska will play its first road game of the season, taking on Purdue. How will the Huskers respond coming off a loss and playing in a road environment?

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Record: 3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 10 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Iowa 31, Minnesota 14
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: Floyd of Rosedale has returned to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes trailed Minnesota 14-7 at the half but proceeded to outscore the Gophers 24-0 in the final two quarters. The Iowa defense was suffocating, allowing just 79 rushing yards and forcing two turnovers. Running back Kaleb Johnson was brilliant, rushing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. We're only four games into the season, but right now, he's playing like the best running back in the Big Ten.

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• Record: 3-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 9 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Rutgers 26, Virginia Tech 23
• This week: Washington vs. Rutgers (Friday, Sept. 27)
• Location: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Time & TV: 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Rutgers was in complete control of Saturday's game against Virginia Tech until the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Knights led 23-7, but allowed the Hokies to score 16 points in the fourth quarter to tie it up. Kicker Jai Patel was the hero, making a 24-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play to win the game. As Rutgers enters Big Ten play, it needs to do a better job playing a complete game. Those types of meltdowns would incredibly costly in Big Ten play.

11. Michigan State Spartans

• Record: 3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 11 (no change)
• Last week: Boston College 23, Michigan State 19
• This week: Ohio State vs. Michigan State
• Location: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
• Time & TV: 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: Turnovers continue to be a problem for Michigan State, especially when it comes to quarterback Aidan Chiles. The Spartans have already lost the ball 10 times this season, with seven of those coming as interceptions. Jonathan Smith's team is a lot more skilled than many expected, but turnovers and penalties may prevent this team from reaching its true potential. Those mistakes have to be cleaned up for MSU to have any chance against Ohio State.

12. Washington Huskies

• Record: 3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 15 (up 3 spots)
• Last week: Washington 24, Northwestern 5
• This week: Washington vs. Rutgers (Friday, Sept. 27)
• Location: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Time & TV: 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: A thoroughly impressive defensive performance from Washington on Saturday, holding Northwestern's offense to just 112 yards and forcing two turnovers. The Huskies quietly rank in the top-five of the Big Ten in total defense and scoring defense. That's a pretty good recipe for success in the league. But Washington also hasn't played the toughest competition just yet. It'll be interesting to see how Jedd Fisch's team performs this weekend, traveling across the country on a short week to play a feisty Rutgers squad.

13. Wisconsin Badgers

• Record: 2-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 12 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Wisconsin vs. USC
• Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Tme & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
• The skinny: Wisconsin needed a week to regroup after getting pummeled by Alabama and losing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for the season. The Badgers have a great opportunity to bounce back with a road trip to USC.

14. Maryland Terrapins

• Record: 3-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 14 (no change)
• Last week: Maryland 38, Villanova 20
• This week: Maryland vs. Indiana
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: No receiver in the Big Ten is having a better year so far than Maryland's Tai Felton. He's already hauled in 41 catches for 604 (!) yards. Reminder: we've only played four games. Felton was excellent again on Saturday, but it's still apparent that the Terrapins are enduring some growing pains. Although the win over Villanova was comfortable, the Terrapins surrendered 20 points in the second half, making things closer than necessary. The Terps need a strong defensive effort this week against a high-flying Hoosiers offense.

15. Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Record: 2-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 13 (down 2 spots)
• Last week: Iowa 31, Minnesota 14
• This week: Minnesota vs. Michigan
• Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Things were going well for the Golden Gophers until the second half started. Minnesota's offense couldn't get anything rolling after halftime. Pair that with some questionable play-calling and you have some unhappy Minnesota fans this weekend. So far, Minnesota has beaten up on Rhode Island and Nevada but struggled with North Carolina and Iowa. This may just be a middle-of-the-road Big Ten football team this year.

16. Northwestern Wildcats

• Record: 2-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 14 (down 2 spots)
• Last week: Northwestern 31, Eastern Illinois 7
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: It's typically hard to win games when you can only churn out 112 yards of offense. The Wildcats' defense actually played well enough to win, but the offense couldn't sustain any drives and failed to convert on third downs against Washington. A week off will give David Braun and his staff some time to reflect on what's gone wrong in losses to Duke and Washington.

17. UCLA Bruins

• Record: 1-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 18 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: LSU 34, UCLA 17
• This week: Oregon vs. UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 11 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: DeShaun Foster's team deserves a lot of credit. After getting blown out on its home field by Indiana, UCLA traveled to LSU and gave the 16th-ranked Tigers a fight. Ethan Garbers had a solid outing, completing 22-of-36 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest problem for the Bruins? Running the football. Through three games, UCLA has just 181 yards on the ground. That won't win many games, regardless of conference.

18. Purdue Boilermakers

• Record: 1-2 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 17 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Oregon State 38, Purdue 21
• This week: Nebraska vs. Purdue
• Location: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: Purdue falls to last place after another lackluster performance, this time to Oregon State. The Boilermakers can't tackle, struggle to stop the run and can't move the ball on offense consistenly. The lone bright spot was running back Devin Mockobee, who eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark for his career.