Week 3 of the college football season saw the Big Ten’s first conference game of the year, a matchup between Penn State and Rutgers that resulted in a 28-3 victory for the Nittany Lions.
As a whole, the conference went 9-3 in nonconference play, but only 2-3 against opponents from Power 5 conferences. However, not all was lost, as Ohio State and Michigan State are 1-2 in the latest AP poll. It’s the first time two Big Ten teams topped the polls since 2006, a simpler time when Bret Bielema was in his first season at Wisconsin, Nick Saban was totally not leaving the Miami Dolphins for Alabama and Jim Tressel’s sweater vest was still patrolling the sidelines of Columbus.
1. Michigan State, 48 points
Ohio State may still be sitting on top of the AP poll, but there’s a new No. 1 in this week’s power rankings.
Fueled by a strong showing on offense, the Michigan State Spartans followed up their victory over the Oregon Ducks with a 35-21 win against
Air Force. Quarterback Connor Cook was stellar for the Spartans, finishing with 247 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-23 passing. However, no one was more impressive than senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge, who hauled in eight receptions for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
Mark Dantonio has his team rolling through the first three weeks of the season, and the Spartans have thrust themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation. In fact, Michigan State has moved all the way up to No. 2 in the AP poll, its highest rankng since finishing the 1966 season at No. 2.
2. Ohio State, 42 points
The Buckeyes moved to 3-0 on the season, but their under- whelming performance in a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois (at least Arkansas plays real MAC teams like Toledo) is being seen as cause for concern for the defending national champions.
The team that seemed to have more quarterback talent than it knew what to do with has turned into one that’s desperately seeking a viable option under center. Starter Cardale Jones was abysmal, tossing two picks and completing just four of his nine pass attempts. J.T. Barrett wasn’t much better in relief, throwing for 97 yards, one touchdown and one inter- ception on 11-of-19 passing.
The good news for Ohio State is that it’ll still be the heavy favorite in every game for the foreseeable future, and it’s still difficult to envision a scenario where the Buckeyes aren’t undefeated heading into their colossal Nov. 21 showdown with Michigan State.
3. Wisconsin, 27 points
Not even questionable targeting penalties and a fire alarm were going to stop the Badgers Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, where they rolled to a 28-3 win over the Troy Trojans.
Redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave threw for 202 yards and a touchdown on 13-for-17 passing and gave a little something for the Heisman voters with a four-yard touchdown run. As a whole, the offense looked more like typical Wisconsin football, relying on its rushing attack more heavily than it had in the first two weeks. The defense was also stout, holding the Trojans to just 3 points and 255 yards of total offense.
The Badgers will play under the lights at Camp Randall against Hawaii, looking to extend their 34-game nonconference home winning streak, which currently sits as the eighth-longest mark in NCAA history.
4. Northwestern, 23 points
For the third time in the last four years, the Wildcats are 3-0 and have now ascended to No. 17 in the latest AP poll. Pat Fitzgerald’s squad bested Duke 19-10 last Saturday, giving the Big Ten its only road victory on the weekend.
The Northwestern defense continues to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, and no team is giving up fewer points per game (5.3) than the Wildcats thus far, though the sample size is still small. It’s obviously still really early in the season and the Northwestern hype train still has time to be derailed after a quick start (see: 2013). But the Wildcats are playing well and with the Big Ten West race expected to be as wide open as the Arkansas head coach position come December, they’ll definitely be a team to keep an eye on moving forward.
5. Michigan, 5 points
The Fightin’ Harbaughs make their triumphant return to the power rankings this week after a 28-7 victory over UNLV this past Saturday.
The Wolverines have now won two straight since their season-opening loss on the road to Utah. However, their schedule only gets more difficult from, with three of their next four opponents (BYU, Northwestern, Michigan State) currently in the top 25. There’s also still plenty of concern at quarterback, where starter Jake Rudock has recorded six turnovers in three games.
But for those fans that are worried about the team’s daunting schedule and the inconsistency under center, they need only to turn to Romans 8:31.
“What, then Michigan fans, shall we say in response to these things? If Khaki Jesus is for us, who can be against us?”
