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Big Ten power rankings entering Week 6: Iowa and Penn State ready to face off

By Alec Whitaker

Arnold Ebiketie #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Arnold Ebiketie #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Quarterback Carl Richardson #9 of the Northwestern Wildcats (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

13. team. 882. . 2-3 (0-2). Previous: 11th. Wildcats

Every time it looks like Northwestern might turn this season around, they take a huge step back.

The Wildcats were blown out by Nebraska 56-7 on Saturday, their worst defeat since losing to Ohio State 58-7 in 2007.

Northwestern managed just 37 rushing yards and either punted or turned the ball over on downs eight times. They also fumbled on the Nebraska one yard line.

While the offense was bad, the defense was even worse. Nebraska totaled 657 yards of total offense, with 427 of those yards coming on the ground. Four Cornhuskers had at least 50 yards rushing.

This was an ugly game for the Wildcats and one they needed to win to stay in the conversation for a bowl game. It’s not looking good for Northwestern, as ESPN’s Football Power Index gives them only a 40.6% chance to win this week at home, against Rutgers.

A year after making the Big Ten conference championship, Northwestern is now in the conversation for the worst team in the conference.

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