After their latest underwhelming victory, Michigan State has fallen from its perch in the Big Ten power rankings. A big week lies ahead for the conference, as four of the teams in this week’s power rankings square off against one another.
1. Ohio State, 47 points
Back on top of the power rankings by virtue of looking less pitiful than Michigan State are the defending national champions, who are coming off a 49-28 victory over the hapless Maryland Terrapins.
Maryland actually hung with the Buckeyes for quite a while and even held a 21-21 tie early in the third quarter. Alas, an upset was not to be for the Terrapins, as Ohio State went off for 28 unanswered points to put the game away and bring an end to the Randy Edsall era at Maryland.
Though the Buckeyes have now moved to 6-0, their quarterback situation is as murky as ever. Both Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett saw a fair amount of playing time Saturday, and that will likely continue going forward.
Luckily for Ohio State, its next four games should all be relatively easy wins, which means the Buckeyes will most likely be 10-0 heading into their two pivotal final games of the season against Michigan State and Michigan.
2. Michigan, 40 points
“For Harbaugh did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of $8 pleated khakis.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
The Fightin’ Harbaughs continue to take the college football world by storm, this time thanks to a 38-0 drubbing of Northwestern.
The Wolverines took the opening kick off the house and never looked back, dominating the Wildcats in every aspect of the game. With the shutout, Michigan hasn’t allowed its opponents to score a single point over the last three games, marking the first time the Wolverines have accomplished that feat since 1980.
Now, they turn their attention to this week’s showdown with the Spartans, who have won six out of the last seven meetings between these two teams. Bragging rights, positioning in the Big Ten East and a statue of a mythical lumberjack will all be at stake this Saturday at the Big House.
3. Michigan State, 33 points
The Spartans continue to underwhelm seemingly every week, but they just won’t lose.
This time, Michigan State eked out a win on the road against Rutgers, though it needed an all-time blunder from the Scarlet Knights to seal the deal. Rutgers trailed 31-24 and was attempting to orchestrate a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano was sacked at midfield with 15 seconds remaining and the Scarlet Knights without any timeouts. This brought up fourth down and left Rutgers needing to just hoist up a prayer and hope that the spirit of Khaki Jesus was with them. Instead, Laviano went with the bold strategy of spiking on fourth down (though in his defense, it did stop the clock).
The Spartans survived to move to 6-0 on the season, but they continued to infuriate those who partake in the eternal sin of gambling by dropping to 0-6 against the spread.
With a trip to Ann Arbor looming this weekend, Michigan State will need to put together its best performance of the season to keep its record unblemished.
4. Iowa, 17 points
Thanks to a big day from running back Jordan Canzeri, the Hawkeyes defeated Illinois 29-20 and are 6-0 for just the second time under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
Canzeri rushed for 256 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 43 carries, including one particular drive in the fourth quarter where he got the ball on 11 straight plays. The Illini defense was simply no match for the 5-foot-9, 192-pound senior, whose previous career high for rushing yards in a game was 165.
Up next for the Hawkeyes is a trip to the alternate dimension of Evanston, where they’ll take on a Northwestern team that is coming off its first loss of the season.
The winner of that game will be in the driver’s seat in the race for the Big Ten West, something that didn’t seem too likely for either team heading into the season.
5. Northwestern, 11 points
The Wildcats had their hot start to the year derailed in Ann Arbor, where the Michigan Wolverines trounced them on their way to a 38-0 blowout victory.
It was an embarrassing defeat for Northwestern, who came into last weekend allowing an FBS-low seven points per game, yet allowed Michigan to reach that total within the first 13 seconds of the game. The Wolverines led 28-0 by halftime and the Wildcats never mustered up anything resembling a respectable offense, finishing with just 168 yards of total offense on the day.
All is not lost, however, for Northwestern. Iowa comes to Evanston this weekend, presenting the Wildcats with a golden opportunity for a bounce-back win. Despite being annihilated by Michigan this past Saturday, a win over the Hawkeyes would put Northwestern right back on track in its quest for the Big Ten West crown.
