THIS IS A WEEKLY BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS, by Luke Maiers.
What did I learn this past weekend in college football? The Big Ten West is back to being equally as strong as the East, CJ Beathard is turning into an Iowa legend and Purdue is who we thought they were. Enough of the small talk. Let’s get to this weeks Big Ten Power Rankings.
1. Ohio State: The first two games for the Buckeyes were formalities. Tulsa hung in there for a full quarter on Saturday, but then Ohio State remembered that they don’t take crap from non-power five schools. The real test comes next week when Bucky travels to Oklahoma to play the chef himself, Baker Mayfield. This should easily be the game of the week this Saturday.
2. Michigan: UCF did not win a game last year, so this win by Michigan is not too impressive. One bright spot for the Wolverines was their quarterback, Wilton Speight. He hurled the ball around for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Michigan has Colorado this week, and then Big Ten play. If Speight plays like that all season and their defense holds up, watch out.
3. Iowa: After giving up 21 points to Miami (OH) in week one, the Hawkeyes only allowed three points to that other school in Iowa. Iowa’s defense looked great and CJ Beathard is the top quarterback in the Big Ten. Rolling into Iowa City next weekend are the Bison from North Dakota State. This will be a challenging game, but if you can survive a gameday in Iowa City, in the words of Kevin Garnett, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”
4. Wisconsin: Once Big Ten play rolls around, the Badgers will be in prime position to make a run to the playoffs. They have a solid defense and a great running back in Corey Clement. Unlike the Big 12, the Big Ten plays defense. The Badgers zipped past Akron this weekend, and once they take care of Georgia State on Saturday, Michigan State and Wisconsin meet up in their first conference game.
5. Michigan State: Sparty had a bye this week so maybe they figured out some stuff after making Furman look like an NFL team. The preppiest school in the nation (Notre Dame) welcomes in Michigan State this Saturday. If this game could end in a tie, a great portion of Americans would be happy, but the next sixty minutes MSU plays will reveal a lot about them as a team.
6. Nebraska: The state next to Iowa took care of business this past weekend. When I think of the Cornhusker’s season so far, I think about a song from a young, normal Miley Cyrus called, “The Climb.” I am pretty sure that is all that Nebraska is going to be doing this year. A solid program is coming off of a rebuilding year, but the Huskers are back. If they pull out a win versus Oregon this weekend, they could make a jump in the rankings.
7. Minnesota: The Gophers did look good…against Indiana State…which is not a D-1 university. With that being said, Minnesota did allow the Sycamores to run up 28 points. When Beathard, Barrett, and other Big Ten quarterbacks come to town, they will have to tighten up their defense. But for now, they should destroy Colorado State.
8. Illinois: I applaud Illinois for scheduling someone that they know they did not have much of a chance against. This game did reveal, though, that Lovie’s defense does need a little more work. I am still high on the Illini and they can still make a run, but right now they have to focus on their next opponent who is Western Michigan. The Broncos are 2-0 on the year and have defeated Northwestern while hanging 70 on their next opponent. This team is not a pushover.
9. Indiana: Ball State, really? Early on in the year, Ball State can force you to drink while watching your team play them. They are that pesky fly that just won’t stop bugging you. Redding is maybe the Big Ten’s best running back, and he showed that again in this last game. Coming to town this weekend is Wake Forest, who is 2-0 on the season and is coming off a nice win over an alright Duke team. Let’s see how many yards the Hoosier’s backfield will put up this week.
10. Penn State: For a second, I thought I saw the white flag about to be flown, but Pitt pulled back a little and the Nittany Lions kept the petal floored. Early on, Penn State looked like a confused freshman on campus. By the fourth quarter, they had a shot to win the game. I am not sure what to think about this team. Give it a few more weeks and we will see.
11. Maryland: The Terrapin’s next three games are against UCF, Purdue and Penn State. That is a stretch where Maryland could win all of those games and find themselves at 5-0. Perry Hills is a decent enough quarterback to win some games, so it all leans on the defense. They have a few extra days to prepare for this week, so they should be good and rested to take down UCF.
12. Purdue: “WE ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!” Purdue had a chance to impress this weekend, but like my grades in high school, they disappointed. Cincinnati was a good test for the Boilermakers and they failed it. Purdue could still be good, but for now, this is where they belong.
13. Rutgers: Let’s get real, Rutgers was favored by 30-something this weekend against Howard, so how good could have their opponent been? Rutgers was trailing for most of the first half, so that should be reason enough for them to be this close to the bottom. The Scarlet Knights have New Mexico this Saturday, but after that, I anticipate Iowa to dismantle them the following weekend.
14. Northwestern: Last year was such a tease if you are a Wildcat fan. A ten win season followed by an 0-2 start against far inferior opponents. I do not think Northwestern will get into the win column this year in conference play. It will be a long year for purple and white.