B1G Power Rankings: Third Edition

Another disappointment on national television for the conference as Michigan lost on the road to Notre Dame, 13-6. But luckily for most teams, B1G play starts this week. Ohio State travels to Michigan State for one of the bigger conference games of the season and Nebraska looks for revenge versus the struggling Wisconsin Badgers. Michigan dropped from the three spot, all the way to seven in this week’s Power Rankings. Minnesota jumped from number ten all the way to number six as they defeated Syracuse (a quality non-conference win at this point.)

1. Ohio State (4-0)- For the third time in consecutive weeks it was not pretty, but the Buckeyes are still undefeated. They travel to East Lansing this weekend where Urban Meyer faces his first conference road test as head coach of the Buckeyes.
2. Northwestern (4-0)- Northwestern is the only team who scheduled and defeated three BCS conference opponents. Look for Pat Fitzgerald’s team to take care of Indiana this weekend before heading to Happy Valley.
3. Nebraska (3-1)- The ‘Huskers welcome back running back Rex Burkhead to complement their already great rushing attack (5th in the nation.) Nebraska’s upcoming battle against Wisconsin had to be circled on Bo Pelini’s calendar after last year’s debacle (48-17) in their first ever B1G game.
4. Purdue (2-1)- Coming off a bye week, Purdue takes on a Marshall team that is ranked number one in the country when it comes to passing the ball. Purdue should be able to score though, as Marshall is also ranked 121st in the nation in points against (42.8 per game.)
5. Michigan State (3-1)- Le’Veon Bell saved embarrassment for Sparty and the conference by rushing for 253 yards in an uncomfortable win versus lowly Eastern Michigan. They welcome College Gameday into town for what could be the best conference matchup of the year versus Ohio State.
6. Minnesota (4-0)- One of the three unbeaten teams remaining in the conference, the Gophers took care of Syracuse last weekend and hope to take advantage of a sputtering Iowa Hawkeye team.
7. Michigan (2-2)- TTUN has another week to prepare for the start of their B1G schedule after putting together another embarrassing performance on national television. Denard Robinson completely destroyed his pre-season Heisman chances by throwing four picks in a 13-6 loss at South Bend.
8. Wisconsin (3-1)- To make matters worse, Wisconsin lost Montee Ball to a head injury versus UTEP. For a shade of optimism, the Badgers are somehow 3-1 and could gain momentum if they defeat Nebraska this weekend.
9. Penn State (2-2)- In reality, Penn St. is only a missed field goal  from being 3-1 and up a couple of spots in the Power Rankings. Quarterback Matt McGloin is starting to grasp Bill O’Brien’s offense and he looks to keep improving this week versus Illinois.
10. Indiana (2-1)- Indiana had an extra week to prepare backup quarterback Cameron Coffman  for this game versus Northwestern. Coffman hopes to lead the Hoosiers to their first B1G victory since the 2010 season finale.
11. Iowa (2-2)- After another bad loss, the Hawkeyes are relieved that the non-conference schedule is over. They hope to start conference play fresh with a win versus unbeaten Minnesota.
12. Illinois (2-2)- The Illini let up a combined 97 points to Arizona State and Louisiana Tech, both pass first teams. Their schedule does not get easier as they have the likes of Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State coming up in the next five weeks.

Compare with last week: http://menofthescarletandgray.com/2012/09/18/b1g-power-rankings-second-edition/

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