By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team has gone from sitting atop these rankings for four consecutive weeks to now barely being in the upper half of the rankings.

Iowa still has a chance to right the ship, and to win the Big Ten West Division, but any chance of making the college playoff for the first time is now beyond reach.

Ohio State is where it usually is as the No. 1 team, but Michigan State was given serious consideration for the top spot after its win over Michigan on Saturday.

It’s hard to believe how far Michigan State has come in just one year under second-year head coach Mel Tucker, who has to be the favorite to win National Coach of the Year. Remember, the Spartans lost to Iowa 49-3 on Nov. 7 of last year.

And now look at them.

Incredible.

1. Ohio State, 5-0, 7-1 – The Buckeyes improved to 20-0 in Big Ten games under head coach Ryan Day, but this past Saturday’s 33-24 victory over Penn State didn’t come as easy as some probably expected.

Ohio State struggled in the red zone, trailed at the end of the first quarter, never led by more than 10 points and needed a 58-yard yard touchdown from a defensive tackle and four field goals to prevail at Ohio Stadium.

For some Buckeye fans, the game probably felt like a loss.

2. Michigan State, 5-0, 8-0 – The Big Ten’s most improved team just keeps improving and finding ways to win under Mel Tucker, the latest and most impressive example being this past Saturday’s 37-33 victory over Michigan.

The Spartans trailed 30-14 late in the third quarter, and yet, still found a way to prevail.

Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III certainly helped his chances in the race for the Heisman Trophy by rushing 23 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns.

3. Michigan, 4-1, 7-1 – Jim Harbaugh might succeed in his mission to restore his alma mater to greatness if he just didn’t have to face Michigan State and Ohio State. He is currently 3-9 against the Spartans and Buckeyes, including 0-5 against Ohio State.

4. Minnesota, 4-1, 6-2 – P.J. Fleck might be annoying to some, but there is no denying his ability to coach. The Gophers only have two healthy running backs on scholarship, but the wins just keep coming.

Since allowing 45 points to Ohio State in the season opener, only twice has Minnesota allowed an opponent to score at least 20 points. Combine that with an offense built around a huge and experienced offensive line and the Gophers have developed a formula for success.

In this past Saturday’s 41-14 victory at Northwestern, Minnesota dominated time of possession – 40:09 to 19:51 – and held its opponent to fewer than 16 points for the fifth time in the last six games.

5. Wisconsin, 3-2, 5-3 – The Badgers still have issues on offense, especially at quarterback, but fortunately for them, the best defense they face is in practice every day.

6. Purdue, 3-2, 5-3 – The Boilermakers rebounded from a disappointing loss to Wisconsin at home the week before by defeating Nebraska 28-23 on the road this past Saturday. Purdue ran 28 more plays than the Cornhuskers, who appear to be unraveling under fourth-year head coach Scott Frost.

7. Iowa, 3-2, 6-2 – The Hawkeyes have gone from being ranked second nationally to losing back-to-back games against Purdue and Wisconsin by a combined score of 51-14. Iowa has been held to seven or fewer points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1999, which was Kirk Ferentz’s debut season.

Spencer Petras was sacked six times against Wisconsin and also committed one of Iowa’s three turnovers in the game. Iowa also was held to just 24 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

But as bad as it was against Wisconsin, a Big Ten West Division title still is within Iowa’s reach. Iowa should be favored in its final four regular-season games against Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska.

8. Penn State, 2-3, 5-3 – If James Franklin truly is auditioning for either the USC or LSU head coaching job, his team’s current three-game losing streak isn’t helping that self-serving cause.

9. Maryland, 2-3, 5-3 – Few teams look as good as Maryland on offense when it wins, or as bad as Maryland on offense when it loses.

10. Rutgers, 1-4, 4-4 – The Scarlet Knights currently have the same overall record as USC, LSU and Florida.

11. Illinois, 2-4, 3-6 – The Fighting Illini managed only 107 rushing yards in Saturday’s 20-14 loss to Rutgers at home after racking up 357 in a nine-overtime win against Penn State on the road a week earlier.

Illinois also led Rutgers 14-10 at halftime.

“It’s very discouraging,” said Illinois head coach Bret Bielema. “We can’t seem to play a four-quarter game at home for some reason. And that’s 100 percent my responsibility. We came out in the second half and laid an egg. My fault.”

12. Nebraska, 1-5, 3-6 – There is better chance of William Shatner landing on Uranus than Scott Frost ever blaming himself after a loss, as Bret Bielema did after the loss to Rutgers.

13. Northwestern, 1-4, 3-5 – With its dismal performance against Minnesota this past Saturday at home, the Wildcats moved a step closer to winning the Big Ten West Division in 2022 .

14. Indiana, 0-5, 2-6 – Tom Allen is proof that nice guys can finish last.