Big Ten Performances, Week 6: 1. MSU, 2. OSU, 13. Wisconsin

It was a rather phenomenal week in college football, and Big Ten teams were basically extras.

With all the upsets being handed out to the Alabamas and Oklahomas and Oregons of the world, it didn't make Northwestern's win over Wisconsin too thrilling. Unless you were Northwestern, that is.

On with the rankings of the Big Ten's performances in Week 6:

1. Michigan State, W 27-22 vs. Nebraska

Trae Waynes' last-minute interception sealed the win for the Spartans in what was a competitive game for, oh, a quarter.

What had been a 27-3 blowout turned into a nail-biter, taking some of the luster off a big win.

'I'm just glad we're not sitting here talking about how it slipped away,” MSU Coach Mark Dantonio said.

But don't discount how well the Spartans' defense played. It held the Huskers to 47 rushing yards, and sacked Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. five times.

2. Ohio State, W 52-24 at Maryland

The Buckeyes have won twice this season (Navy, Maryland) in Maryland. That's twice as much as the Terrapins (South Florida).

Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another. 'He's playing very well,” coach Urban Meyer said. 'And the neat thing is, we can still get better.”

OSU has scored 168 points over its last three games. That will win you games.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 139 yards, and has 311 over the last two games. He is a sophomore. Barrett and Elliott. Ohio State never runs out of these guys.

3. Northwestern, W 20-14 vs. Wisconsin

So here's how it works: You lose at home to California and Northern Illinois, then get the best of Penn State and Wisconsin.

'I think we're definitely playing with a lot more passion and a lot more physicality than we did earlier in the year,” Wildcats Coach Pat Fitzgerald said. 'I don't have any issues with what we did early in the year, except for what we were doing on Saturdays.”

What Northwestern did Saturday was hang on to the ball. It didn't make a turnover. Wisconsin had four.

The Wildcats were the first team in the last 18 to hold Wisconsin under 20 points. Northwestern has allowed a total of just 20 points in those wins over Penn State and the Badgers. The Wildcats are alone atop the Big Ten West.

Crazy.

4. Rutgers, W 26-24 vs. Michigan

Gary Nova, who was picked off five times in Rutgers' 13-10 home loss to Penn State three weeks earlier, passed for 404 yards and three beautiful touchdowns against the Wolverines.

Rutgers' fans stormed the field after the game. It doesn't matter how shattered Michigan football is these days. This meant more to these people than defeating UConn or Pittsburgh.

Rutgers is 5-1. Michigan is 2-4. If the world isn't upside down, it's at least resting on its ear.

5. Purdue, W 38-27 at Illinois

Really? The Purdue team that barely had a pulse on offense the previous week against Iowa totalld 551 yards against the Fighting (?) Illini.

Purdue Coach Darrell Hazell benched quarterback Danny Etling and gave Austin Appleby his first career start. Good move. Appleby passed for 202 yards and a touchdown, ran for 76 yards and two TDs.

'We needed some juice in the huddle,” Hazell said. He got it.

'Last thing I was going to do, getting a chance to realize my dream, was to go out and play scared,” Appleby said. 'I was going to out there and sling it.”

Akeem Hunt rushed for 177 yards for the Boilers. That in itself was 21 more yards than Purdue's entire offense managed the week before against Iowa.

6. Indiana, W 49-24 vs. North Texas

The roller coaster ride of the Hoosiers continues. Although expected to win this game (even thought it lost to Dan McCarney's team when they last met, in 2011), Indiana was in fine form. It gained 593 yards and looked more like the team that won at Missouri two weekends ago than the one that got clubbed at home by Maryland last weekend.

Indiana's Tevin Coleman carried 17 times for 150 yards. That gave him 841 rushing yards in five games.

Indiana is at Iowa Saturday. The Hoosiers haven't won back-to-back games since opening since 2012 when it won at Illinois and then beat ... Iowa.

7. Nebraska, L 27-22 at Michigan State

It was a nice comeback in the fourth quarter.

None of which hides the fact the Huskers were held to 45 rushing yards, their lowest total since they played USC in 2007. Ameer Abdullah (24 carries, 45 yards) probably got his Heisman Trophy campaign suspended.

'I put the lack of running game on myself - I didn't hit the creases where I needed to and that's on me,” Abdullah said.

He was being charitable to the entire Nebraska offensive unit.

But Huskers QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. was already talking about getting a second crack at the Spartans.

'It's not the last time they're going to see us, I can promise you that,” Armstrong said. 'We plan on going 11-1, making the Big Ten Championship and playing Michigan State again.”

Just how Armstrong makes sure the Spartans beat Ohio Stat to win the East division isn't clear. But he at least gave bulletin board material to Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

8-10. Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State (idle)

11. Michigan, L 26-24 at Rutgers

'This isn't rock bottom,” said Michigan receiver Devin Funchess in this Detroit Free Press column by Drew Sharp. 'That happens if you quit. And we're not quitting. We're playing for each other, our families and our university.”

The Wolverines are 2-4 overall, 0-2 in the Big Ten.

12. Maryland, L 52-24 vs. Ohio State

First Big Ten home game, first sellout in six years, total excitement to see the Terrapins play a marquee opponent. Then the game began.

And the student section began emptying out in the third quarter. It was 31-10 at halftime. The Terrapins laid turtle eggs.

'We found out today that Ohio State is a very good football team,” Maryland Coach Randy Edsall said. 'That's the standard that we are going to have to reach here at Maryland. We are prepared to do that.

'What we have to do is continue to build the program. We have to get the facilities. We have to be able to recruit. Our guys now know that this is the (conference) we're in. If we want to win the Eastern Division of the Big Ten, we have to go through (teams like Ohio State.)”

Maryland was 6-18 in its last three seasons in the ACC, so it isn't like it has taken some major step upward in competition.

13. Wisconsin, L 20-14 at Northwestern

You wasted a 259-yard rushing game by Melvin Gordon? Uh, yeah.

See, the Badgers aren't exactly good with the forward pass. Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave combined to go 12 of 29 passing for 138 yards and four interceptions. Stave threw three, the last one on a terrible decision. It was picked off in the end zone with 5:55 left by freshman safety Godwin Igwebuike, the third of his picks in this game.

Coincidentally, Igwebuike is from Pickerington, Ohio. He became the first Wildcat to get three picks in a game since 1973.

Stave didn't play in Wisconsin's first four games. The Badgers would normally have a full-blown quarterback controversy, but those come when the public favors either one QB or are split between two.

The good news in Madtown: The Badgers host Illinois Saturday.

14. Illinois, L 38-27 vs. Purdue

Freshman receiver Mikey Dudek had eight catches for 200 yards.

So the Illini had that.

This was a win Illinois really needed to go with its three nonconference wins over Youngstown State, Western Kentucky and Texas State. Then if could get a home win over Minnesota and someone else, you're talking 6-6.

It's fun to pretend.