By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It feels like the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s all over again as Ohio State and Michigan fill the top two spots, respectively, in my latest Big Ten power rankings.

Michigan is finally showing signs of being elite under head coach Jim Harbaugh, but now comes the hard part of the schedule that will truly define and determine what this Michigan team is all about.

The Wolverines face undefeated Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan, and also play at Penn State on Nov. 13 and against Ohio State on Nov. 27 at home in what could be a classic showdown in a series that for more than a decade has been dominated by the Buckeyes.

These rankings are all about the present, however, and right now Michigan, powered by its running game, deserves to be either at the the top or near the top.

Ohio State was picked for the top spot mostly because of its high-powered offense, which makes scoring touchdown look so easy.

As for Iowa, it climbed two spots without even playing a game.

That’s one of the advantages of having a bye week in that your team can benefit from other teams’ failures.

1. Ohio State, 6-1, 4-0 – Rumor has it that the Buckeyes scored five touchdowns just while I was compiling these rankings.

2. Michigan, 7-0, 4-0 – If Jim Harbaugh plans on having anymore sleepovers, he should invite the Michigan offensive line, running backs, and Michigan native Iggy Pop and serve popcorn and pop just like my parents did when I had sleepovers as a kid.

3. Michigan State, 7-0, 4-0 – In sort of a Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon kind of way, Hayden Fry is connected to Michigan State’s rise under current head coach Mel Tucker since Tucker played linebacker for Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin. Alvarez got his big break in coaching when Hayden Fry hired him as an assistant coach at Iowa. Alvarez after being hired as the Wisconsin head coach then raided Fry’s staff for two assistant coaches, including Bernie Wyatt, who led Wisconsin’s recruiting machine. The other assistant that Alvarez took from Fry to be his defensive coordinator was Iowa City native Dan McCarney, who had direct supervision over Tucker.

4. Iowa, 6-1, 3-1 – Reliable special teams, rock-solid defense and not having to face Purdue are three of Iowa’s biggest strengths coming off the bye week.

5. Penn State 5-2, 2-2 – Quarterback Sean Clifford is Penn State’s biggest strength and biggest weakness according to its fans and the circumstances.

6. Minnesota 5-2, 3-1 – The injury-riddled Gophers are more resilient than a cockroach.

7. Wisconsin 4-3, 2-2 – Not sure if it’s true, but heard that Wisconsin started playing better when Paul Chryst stopped wearing socks.

8. Illinois, 3-5, 2-3 – Bret Bielema is more popular right now than the Beef House and REO Speedwagon for those in the Champaign-Urbana area.

9. Purdue, 4-3, 2-2 – Jeff Brohm is to Iowa football what water was to the aliens in the 2002 movie “Signs.” Against everyone else, however, he’s Jim Colletto.

10. Nebraska, 3-5, 1-4 – Wouldn’t surprise me if Scott Frost spent the by week watching reruns of Dynasty, the Cosby Show, Seinfeld, St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues and Hee Haw to reconnect to when Nebraska was relevant in football.

11. Maryland, 4-3, 1-3 – Where’s the Howard University football team when you need it?

12. Northwestern, 3-4, 1-3 – Northwestern looks overmatched, slow, weak and incapable of defeating a respectable Big Ten team. Unless, of course, it’s Iowa.

13. Rutgers, 3-4, 0-4 – Rutgers paid a lot of money to win nonconference games under Greg Schiano.

14. Indiana, 2-5, 0-4 – Tom Allen needs to watch the 1979 movie “Breaking Away” and connect with the spirit of Jack Earle Haley to fully appreciate what it means to overcome adversity and hardship in Bloomington, Indiana.