B1G Power Rankings: Second Edition

The B1G almost bounced back from their dismal week two until Michigan State got embarrassed at home, on national television versus Notre Dame. The loss dropped Michigan State from number one all the way to number six in the weekly B1G Power Rankings. The conference has to take what it can get though at this point with some of the worst out of conference play in conference history recently.

1. Ohio State (3-0)- The Buckeyes squeaked out a win at the ‘Shoe versus Cal over the weekend, but as they say “a win is a win.” Kenny Guiton should see the field a lot versus UAB this weekend before heading to East Lansing in two weeks for a B1G showdown.
2. Northwestern (3-0)- The Wildcats defeated Boston College last weekend and their schedule gets even easier with back to back games against South Dakota and Indiana. They seem to be a product of an easy schedule but you cannot overlook their win over SEC wildcard Vanderbilt.
3. Michigan (2-1)- As expected, TTUN got to pad Denard Robinson’s stats against lowly UMASS but they travel to South Bend this weekend for a huge match-up. Notre Dame is coming off a surprising win at Michigan State and looks to extend their dominance over the B1G this season.
4. Nebraska (2-1)- After a slip up against a surprisingly good UCLA squad, Nebraska got back to running the football effectively versus Arkansas St. They welcome Idaho State into Lincoln before the Badgers come into town.
5. Purdue (2-1)- These next two rankings were based on their play versus one common opponent, Notre Dame. Purdue had the lead in the final minutes at South Bend before the Irish kicked a game winning field goal.
6. Michigan St (2-1)- On the other hand, Notre Dame went into Spartyville and controlled the game from start to finish, defeating MSU 20-3 on national television. Look for Coach D’Antonio to stick with his running game and for his defense to bounce back this week versus Eastern Michigan before Braxton Miller and crew come into town.
7. Wisconsin (2-1)- Once again, the Badgers looked unimpressive and could honestly be 0-3 at this point. To make matters worse, there could be a quarterback controversy on the horizon with Danny O’Brien being benched in favor for freshman Joel Stave. That is definitely something to keep an eye on before their conference schedule begins.
8. Penn St. (1-2)-  Coming off a resounding win over Navy, the Nittany Lions finally got their first win. They should take care of Temple and Illinois the next two weeks.
9. Iowa (2-1)- The Hawkeyes are another team that has not really played anyone yet and that continues this week against a Central Michigan team that is down this year.
10. Minnesota (3-0)- Sorry Gopher fans (if there are any,) but I don’t think I am the only one that does not buy your undefeated record. Look for Syracuse and their third ranked passing offense to throw the ball all over TCF Bank Stadium this weekend.
11. Illinois (2-1)- I still cannot get over that 31 point loss to ASU two weeks ago and do not be surprised if high scoring Louisiana Tech upsets the Illini this weekend.
12. Indiana (2-1)- In their first game without QB Tre Roberson, the Hoosiers lost to Ball St. They have two weeks to prepare for Northwestern so they should be able to put together a decent game plan.