Monday, September 12, 2011

B1G power rankings: Week 3

1. Wisconsin: Russell Wilson has had all day to throw and the running backs have had holes the size of the Grand Canyon to run through.  That is what a great offensive line will do for you.  Wilson probably didn't realize that playing quarterback could be this easy, he was harassed regularly playing behind a mediocre offensive line at N.C. State, but now has all day behind one of the best lines in the country and it has showed.  Wilson is second in the country in quarterback rating, and is completing an astounding 79.4% of his passes.

2. Michigan State:  I don't feel safe about the Spartans staying this high in the power rankings, but they get the nod for the number 2 spot this week after a dominant performance against Florida Atlantic.  The Spartans have a brutal B1G road schedule this year and will have to be running at full strength to stay this high by seasons end.

3. Ohio State:  I am not going to overreact to one poor performance against a MAC team.  I have seen B1G teams lose to MAC teams and turn around and have strong seasons.  Northwestern won the Big Ten years ago after losing to Miami (OH).  The Buckeyes should expect some bumps in the road early in the season with the five game suspensions to Posey, Herron, and others, not to mention the loss of their head coach.  The Buckeyes will easily be one of the 3 or 4 best teams in the conference by seasons end.

4. Nebraska:  That black shirt defense didn't look that great last Saturday night against Fresno State, but on a positive note it looks like Taylor Martinez is healthy and let's be honest, his health is the key to their entire season.  If the Huskers don't have a healthy Martinez their offense looks like a lost puppy dog.

5. Iowa:  I am not going to let the loss to Iowa State drop the Hawkeyes that low.  I have seen Iowa lose to Iowa State and still have a great season.  This is still a talented, well coached team.

6. Michigan:  Denard Robinson has magic in him.  Anyone that watched the Michigan/Notre Dame game had to be thinking that was one of the most exciting finishes in the history of college football.  Robinson only completed like 11 passes, but ended up throwing for over 300 yards and 4 TD's.  Buyer beware however as the Wolverines have had exciting wins over Notre Dame and fast starts the last two years that fizzled into extremely disappointing seasons.  Let's see how the Michigan defense performs over the course of the year.  One thing is known, the defense will have to improve dramatically for the Wolverine to win 9 or 10 games.

7. Illinois: I have a hard time believing in Illinois and Ron Zook so I am reluctant to even put them in the middle of the power rankings, but so far the Illini have looked really good.  It's hard to gauge just how good they are after battering the likes of Arkansas State and South Dakota State, but you have to give the Illini credit for blasting a couple teams they should.  Just ask Minnesota about playing over matched teams at home... The Gophers have lost to South Dakota and New Mexico State in their last two home openers respectively.  The Illini also have a favorable schedule playing 8 games at home this year, a school record.

8. Penn State:  The Nittany Lions quarterbacks are one word - awful!  They have a very formidable D and a great young back in Silas Redd, but holy smoke they need to get a competent qb.  They are really going to struggle this year in B1G play if McGloin and Bolden continue to struggle.  One of those two needs to step up his game immediately.

9. Northwestern:  Wildcat fans are probably annoyed to see their team this low, but I need to see more from this team before I put them higher in the rankings.  They beat an awful Boston College team and an FCS foe.  Kain Kolter is a cute little quarterback, but they will need a healthy Dan Persa to have any shot of returning to a bowl game.

10. Purdue:  You could throw the names of the last three teams in the conference into a hat and draw them out to determine the last three slots in the power rankings and it wouldn't matter.  Their is a drop off the size of Alaska between the 9th and 10th best teams in the B1G after week 2.  Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota have all showed they absolutely suck after two weeks of non-conference competition.  I will go with Purdue as the 10th best team, simply because they are the most experienced and have the most junior/senior heavy roster.

11. Minnesota:  After watching the Gophers outscore USC 14-0 at the LA Coliseum in the 2nd half on Labor Day weekend and lose by only two to the men of Troy I thought the Gophers would carry that momentum into their home opener and absolutely demolish New Mexico State.  Wow, was I ever wrong.  The Gopher secondary got burnt deep, failed to even breathe on Aggies QB Andrew Manley, and couldn't get more than 2 or 3 yards per carry from their running backs and when they needed a yard on 4th and short were stuffed both times by a defense that was trampled by the Ohio Bobcats just one week earlier.  It was just an embarrassing performance by the Gophers.  On a positive note it looks like Head Coach Jerry Kill is going to make a full recovery after having a seizure on the sideline late in the game.

12. Indiana:  The Hoosiers did what they do best, gag and throw up all over themselves.  The Hoosiers managed to climb back and take the lead after being down by 20 points to the Virginia Cavaliers.  However, quarterback Ed Wright-Baker fumbled deep in his own territory late in the game leading to the winning field goal for the Cavaliers.

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