Big Ten West Power Ranking: Did Iowa Fall, Again?
Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
A look at the Big Ten West after another week of games
The Big Ten West fared very well this week. They combined to go 5-1 on the week and their only loss came in a game that featured two teams from the West Division, Nebraska and Northwestern. Wisconsin also jumped back into the AP Poll top-10 after their surprising blowout win over Michigan State, and Nebraska is now in the top-15, as well.
The Big Ten East is still making all the headlines with Ohio State and Michigan near the top of the AP Poll, although the West Division has proven to be very strong. There’s a lot of competition within the division this year and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game is up for grabs due to the Iowa Hawkeyes struggles.
Iowa improved to 3-1 on the year with a win over Rutgers, although they barely squeaked out the victory and did not look like a true competitor in the Big Ten doing so. Either way, the Hawkeyes stayed level with the rest of the Big Ten West and will look to get back on track this weekend in a very important matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats.
After a very productive week from the division, here’s a look at how each team stacks up with each other.
Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
No. 7 – Illinois Fighting Illini 1-2 (0-0)
Last Week: 6
Maybe a week off will help Illinois get their season back on track. After a demolishing win over Murray State in week one, Illinois played North Carolina tough for a half and then got blown out by Western Michigan 34-10 in week three. They now take on #15 Nebraska this week in a big game for Lovie Smith and the Fighting Illini.
It’s the first Big Ten game for Illinois in the Lovie Smith era. Even though Nebraska is playing as well as any team in the Big Ten this year, this will be a great measuring stick game for Illinois. So far against solid competition, Illinois has looked decent against North Carolina and really bad against Western Michigan. Now is the time for them to show the nation what team they are this year.
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Wes Lunt is completing 62.2 percent of his passes and has thrown six touchdowns to one interception. The offense has also averaged 5.2 yards per carry, however that has not translated to points and their defense has been unable to keep the opposing team off the board.
In their last game, Western Michigan’s running back Jamauri Bogan ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, averaging 7.9 yards per carry against the Illini. As a team, Western Michigan scored four rushing touchdowns. It’s easy to see why the Illini went down early and were never able to make any sort of comeback.
When it comes down to it, they’re one of just two teams with one win in the Big Ten West this year. Even though they had a sizable challenge in non-conference play, they didn’t show enough to warrant people whole-heartedly believing that they’re better than the 5-7 team they were in 2015.
They have potential, and meetings with Purdue and Rutgers in a couple of weeks could give them much-needed confidence. Although, they’re coming off an embarrassing loss to Western Michigan and Nebraska has a good shot of doing the same this week. They might not be the worst team in the Big Ten, but nothing this season has proven that they’re anything more than mediocre at best.
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No. 6 – Purdue Boilermakers 2-1 (0-0)
Last Week: 7
Purdue isn’t good, but they’re 2-1 and have a legitimate shot at beating an undefeated Maryland team to win their third game of the season this week, which would already top their win total from 2015. Still, their win over Nevada this week wasn’t overly-impressive, but any win is a good win for Purdue at this point.
The Wolf Pack led 14-3 at one point and took a 14-10 lead into halftime. However, Purdue shut out Nevada in the second half and tacked on two more touchdowns to give them the win. David Blough threw his seventh interception on the season and Purdue as a team only managed to average 3.8 yards per carry, but it wasn’t all bad for the Boilermakers.
They held Nevada to just 2.1 yards per carry and Markell Jones finished the game with 124 yards on 22 carries for the Boilermakers. Deangelo Yancey and Domonique Young also both eclipsed 15 receptions on the season. Despite Purdue owning a solid receiving core, Blough has been very turnover prone this season, and that will cost the Boilermakers against better competition.
The Boilermakers lost by 18 to Cincinnati, their only decent opponent, however, at this point, they’re just looking for wins over anyone to get their program heading in the right direction. If Blough continues to average more than two interceptions per game, Purdue will have a very hard time winning any more games this season, though.
Even though Maryland is 3-0, they haven’t faced any good competition, and their meeting with Purdue is anyone’s game. Purdue isn’t going to compete in the Big Ten this season but a win over Maryland is important for this team’s improvement, especially after their decent play over the first three weeks of the season.
Seeing how they face against their own level of competition will determine how far they’ve come this year. That being said, Purdue comes in ahead of Illinois this week based solely on the fact that they have two wins, tying their 2015 total. Markell Jones is a solid running back and they have a decent defense, but David Blough will hold this team back if he doesn’t be more careful with the ball.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5 – Northwestern Wildcats 1-3 (0-1)
Last Week: 5
Even though Northwestern is 1-3, they’ve played nearly all quality teams up to this point. Western Michigan is arguably the best team in the MAC this year, Duke has formed a respectable program, and Nebraska is now #15 in the nation. Of course, losing to Illinois State 9-7 is not going to be easy to forget, and the Wildcats have a very tough road ahead of them to become bowl eligible, but this isn’t the week Purdue or Illinois jumps ahead of them.
Maybe I’m just like everyone else, waiting for Northwestern to turn their season around and show at least a little of what they did in 2015 when they won 10 games. The truth is that might not come. They’ve only allowed a remarkable 17 points per game this season, but teams are honing in on star running back Justin Jackson, forcing Clayton Thorson to throw.
That leads to a lot of problems for the Wildcats as Thorson has completed just 53.2 percent of his passes. Jackson is averaging a career-low 4.1 yards per carry, and it won’t get much better until Thorson relieves some pressure off him or their offensive line drastically improves.
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If it wasn’t for a missed 27-yard field goal and extra point, the Wildcats would have been in the thick of things with Nebraska in the fourth quarter. They ended up falling 24-13, however those were four big points off the board. Not to mention they also played the Cornhuskers very tough in the first half, only trailing 10-7.
Although, the biggest scare of the game is when star linebacker Anthony Walker went down. Luckily for the Wildcats, he returned to the game in just a couple of plays and should suit up against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a make or break game for both struggling teams this week.
When it comes down to it, the Wildcats caught a lot of lucky breaks in 2015, which helped them reach 10 wins. Sure, they’re 1-3 with a loss to Illinois State, but their win over Duke was impressive and they’ve shown flashes against Western Michigan and Nebraska of the team they were last year. The difference is they’re not catching the breaks this season.
Northwestern has one of the best defenses in the nation but Justin Jackson can’t carry the whole offense by himself. There are too many question marks surrounding this team, but, at the same time, mostly everyone would confidently pick them to beat Illinois or Purdue.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 – Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-0 (0-0)
Last Week: 4
Minnesota continued to roll in 2016 with a 31-24 win over Colorado State. Starting the season with three straight wins is impressive, but they have yet to play any decent competition. They defeated Oregon State in their season opener, however they needed a 13 point fourth quarter to do so. They then took down Indiana State with ease, although a mediocre Colorado State team gave them problems.
They have a solid test in Penn State this week that will give everyone a better indication of the type of team they are this season. Either way, running back Rodney Smith has been fantastic this year, Shannon Brooks just returned from an injury against Colorado State, and Mitch Leidner is doing exactly what they need from him at quarterback.
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Leidner has completed 64.5 percent of his passes and has turned the ball over just once. To go along with his solid production through the air, he’s also added an impressive 135 yards on the ground to go with Smith’s 298 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The Gophers know their bread and butter is running the ball, and they stick with it. Minnesota ran 45 times against Colorado State, the question surrounding them is what happens if they have to rely on Leidner’s arm?
Their defense ranks just 60th in points allowed per game (25), but they’re not expected to blow out their competition in the Big Ten. Still, in a league where pounding the rock on the ground is still a norm, Minnesota’s offensive attack has a chance to work very well this year with their dynamic running back duo and athletic quarterback.
Minnesota’s biggest test of the early season is coming up. If they can rattle off wins against Penn State and Iowa, they have a good chance of starting the season 9-0. That’s a big if, though, especially for a team with a questionable defense and passing game.
Minnesota might be the third best team in the Big Ten West, however they’ll need to prove it against Penn State this week. They’ve done their job and enter conference play undefeated, and that’s all you can ask from them at this point.
Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3 – Iowa Hawkeyes 3-1 (1-0)
Last Week: 3
It makes sense to think that Minnesota should have jumped Iowa following the injury to top wide receiver Matt VandeBerg. Plus, when you add in their struggles over the past two weeks, the rest of the season could be all down hill for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is still 3-1, though, and owns one of the best defense in the nation.
Sure, their run defense has been shaky at times and they’ve given up a couple of big plays. That being said, Iowa’s defense has only given up 13.5 points per game, 12th best mark in the nation, and has given them a chance to win every game this season. Of course, against tougher competition that might not be the case, but thus far they’ve stayed afloat in the Big Ten West, and their defense has proven that they’ll keep them in games.
Besides, Northwestern, Minnesota and Purdue, their next three opponents, don’t own high-powered offenses. Even with the loss of their top wide receiver, the Hawkeyes have a chance to go back to their roots with the ground game and start the season 6-1.
There are glaring issues the Hawkeyes need to address over the coming weeks, and it won’t be easy. Although, if they’re able to bounce back from their North Dakota State hangover against Rutgers and beat Northwestern, they’ll be in good shape.
It’s fair to say that they lost to their only decent opponent, however Minnesota hasn’t played anybody better than North Dakota State, either. The win over Rutgers wasn’t pretty, but we can’t forget their convincing wins over Miami (OH) and Iowa State, when they blew out bad teams like they were suppose to.
Iowa has a legitimate shot at winning the Big Ten West, however, at this point, it’s all about adapting. If they’re not able to go back to their roots and pound the ball with LeShun Daniels Jr and Akrum Wadley, they might finish the season 6-6 or worse.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 – Nebraska Cornhuskers
Last Week: 1
The Oregon Ducks lost to Colorado this past week, therefore Nebraska’s win over the then-ranked Oregon Ducks is becoming less significant. Still, there’s no denying that this isn’t just one of the best teams in the Big Ten, but in the entire nation, as well. The defense is holding teams to just 18 points per game and the offense is scoring 38.5 points per contest.
With Illinois, Indiana and Purdue next on their schedule, the Cornhuskers have a good chance of starting the season 6-0. They’ve already jumped to #15 in the AP Poll, and the Big Ten West has a chance to be decided in Iowa City during the last week of the season.
The biggest takeaway from Nebraska this year, though, is the quarterback play of Tommy Armstrong Jr. The senior quarterback has struggled with turnovers in the past, but he has thrown just one interception to eight touchdowns in 2016. Not to mention he’s also completing 56.6 percent of his passes and is just two yards shy from leading the team in rushing yards with 281 on the season. In a nutshell, Armstrong has a slim chance of being a Heisman Finalist if he and Nebraska keep playing like this.
When it comes down to it, Nebraska is one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation. Armstrong and Devine Ozigbo give them a formidable running game, and four players have at least nine receptions on the year. Defensively, they’ve intercepted nine passes and have 10 sacks on the young season.
Plus, if it wasn’t for two goal line fumbles, the Cornhuskers would have demolished Northwestern a week ago. They ended up winning 24-13, however it very well could have been 38-13.
The Cornhuskers haven’t had the grueling schedule Wisconsin has, which is why they fell to number two this week. Still, they look like a true threat to the rest of the Big Ten and have a shot at taking down the Badgers in a couple of weeks.
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No. 1 – Wisconsin Badgers 4-0 (1-0)
Last Week: 2
The crazy thing about Wisconsin is that they have the best resume in college football and could be the best team in the Big Ten this year, but barely anyone thinks they can win the Big Ten West. It’s clear that beating Georgia State by a mere six points was due to the Badgers overlooking them. They proved that by bouncing back and demolishing Michigan State 30-6 to start their unbelievably tough five game stretch off with a win.
The Badgers will now take on Michigan before a bye week, but then have Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska in consecutive weeks. If Wisconsin somehow escapes this stretch 5-0, they would have a very good shot of being the #1 team in the nation.
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For now, they’re #8, but have seemingly ended their quarterback controversy after the Big Ten named Alex Hornibrook Freshman of the Week. He threw for 195 yards, a touchdown and an interception in their win over the Spartans.
The most impressive thing about their win over Michigan State, though, was that they dominated the game without Corey Clement being effective. Clement scored twice, however he averaged a mere 2.3 yards per carry. For a run-heavy offense to rely on their freshman quarterback in a big game is risky, but Hornibrook and their defense stepped up.
Considering Wisconsin has faced both LSU and Michigan State already, holding their opponents to just 11.8 points per game is extremely impressive — seventh in the nation. They intercepted Tyler O’Connor three times and it’ll be near impossible to beat this team if their defense continues to be a wall.
Most people are still expecting Wisconsin to lose to Michigan and Ohio State, however they won’t go down without a fight. The Badgers’ record at the end of the season might not show it, but they seem like the clear-cut best team in the Big Ten West at the moment.