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Big Ten West Power Ranking: Iowa Hawkeyes Falling Quickly
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
A look at how every team in the Big Ten West stacks up after another week
With conference play in full swing, the Big Ten West struggled this past week. Teams combined to go a mere 2-5, with both wins coming in games where two Big Ten West teams matched up. It’s safe to say that the top of the Big Ten West has solidified themselves, however the rest of the division seems to be a mess at the moment.
Most people’s Big Ten West preseason pick, the Iowa Hawkeyes, have fallen flat on their faces over the past three weeks. With losses to North Dakota State and now Northwestern, the Hawkeyes are a measly 3-2 and will have to fight to gain bowl eligibility. Not many people saw these struggles coming from Iowa in 2016, although, barring a shocking improvement, the Hawkeyes are seemingly out of Big Ten contention.
Too many problems have risen around Iowa on the field this season, and nothing over the past couple of weeks have signified that anything will change. They’re still not a team opposing teams can take lightly, however Iowa is no longer feared like they were last season or coming into the year.
Either way, we have a better idea of what the Big Ten West will look like the rest of the way and who is a contender or a pretender.
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
No. 7 – Purdue Boilermakers 2-2 (0-1)
Last Week: 6
Purdue received the benefit of the doubt after beating Nevada 24-14, however that all went away after Maryland dropped them 50-7 in their most embarrassing loss of the season. Maryland is now 4-0 on the year but no one thought they improved to a point where a 43-point victory over Purdue was plausible.
It happened, though, and Purdue has close to no positives coming out of the game. Markell Jones rushed for 23 yards on 12 carries, and Purdue as a team averaged 0.4 yards per carry. Not to mention Jones left the game with a shoulder injury and might miss their meeting with Illinois this week.
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Quarterback David Blough had his first game without an interception, however Elijah Sindelar replaced him in the fourth quarter. Blough only completed 43.9 percent of his passes and Sindelar only completed 4-of-12 throws on the afternoon. Simply put, nothing went their way on the offensive side of the ball.
Despite winning the time of possession battle and committing fewer penalties, their defense was even worse than their offense.
Maryland running back Ty Johnson rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Lorenzo Harrison only had six carries, however rushed for 78 yards and a score. Maryland, as a team, finished the game with an outer-worldly 400 yards on the ground, 8.7 yards per carry, and four touchdowns.
Cincinnati tore up Purdue on the ground earlier in the year, as well, however 400 yards on the ground by Maryland will be one of the most impressive showings by any team this season.
Even though Maryland is 4-0, they’re not a feared team in the Big Ten. That makes giving up 50 points to them and not scoring until the fourth quarter look even worse for the Boilermakers.
Next up is Illinois, which looked like a possible win just a week ago. However, after being destroyed by Maryland, it’s clear that Purdue has a long way to go before being close to relevant in the Big Ten West.
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6 – Illinois Fighting Illini 1-3 (0-1)
Last Week: 7
Illinois might not make a bowl game this season, but they can give good teams a run for their money if they play well. Despite losing by 15 points to Nebraska this past week, they took a 16-10 lead into the fourth quarter. It took a 63-yard touchdown run by Terrell Newby to break the game open with 2:03 left in the game.
Of course a 34-10 loss to Western Michigan still looms over their head, and the fact that they’re only averaging 25.2 points per game has to improve — 93rd in the nation. Although, they stayed competitive with now-17th ranked North Carolina in the first half and nearly upset now-12th ranked Nebraska.
Illinois simply doesn’t have the talent to close out games and consistently play well every week, which is why their the sixth best team in the Big Ten West. That being said, they have favorable matchups against Purdue and Rutgers over the next few weeks that could bring them back to .500.
Illinois has a solid running game with Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who is averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and Wes Lunt has still thrown only one interception compared to six touchdowns. The Illini just haven’t been able to prolong drives that result in points this season.
Still, their defense, led by Hardy Nickerson and Carroll Phillips, has allowed a respectable 29 points per game. Plus, they held both Western Michigan and Nebraska to under 35 points. That will give them a chance against Iowa and Northwestern later in the year, but their offense will need to get going if they want to win.
Illinois needs time under Lovie Smith, but at least his team is showing fight. They might not be a double-digit win team, however becoming bow eligible is very possible for them.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5 – Iowa Hawkeyes 3-2 (1-1)
Last Week: 3
At some point it’s no longer an overreaction. The Iowa Hawkeyes simply aren’t a good football team this year and they’ve shown nothing to discourage that statement over the past couple of weeks. Their what seemed to be a North Dakota State loss-hangover has turned into reality for the Hawkeyes.
Their defensive line couldn’t take advantage of arguably the worst offensive line in the Big Ten this past week. Instead, Justin Jackson ran for 171 yards and a score, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Not to mention that Clayton Thorson and Austin Carr connected for three touchdowns, as well. Northwestern came into the game failing to score more than 25 points in a single game this season, but put up 38 against what seemed to be a stifling defense coming into the year.
Offensively, Riley McCarron had a career-night this past week, stepping up for the injured Matt VandeBerg. Still, it was evident that C.J. Beathard missed his top option. The uncertainty also might have caused him to hang onto the ball too long at times and take a sack.
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Although, their running game only managed to average 1.9 yards per carry. To make matters worse, LeShun Daniels Jr and Akrum Wadley only rushed for 107 yards on 31 carries — 3.5 yards per rush. With no VandeBerg, Iowa can’t afford to have no run game.
Iowa hasn’t been able to effectively stop the run all season and seem to keep getting worse every week. Maybe the North Dakota State loss messed with them and they’ve been unable to get back on track. Either way, the 2016 Iowa Hawkeyes are a lot worse than the 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes.
With no real identity on either side of the ball, it’s surprising that they opened this week as a 1.5 point favorite over Minnesota, despite the game being in Minneapolis. That being said, besides Purdue and Illinois, there aren’t any sure-thing wins this season. That is a very scary statement for a team with just three wins on the year.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 – Northwestern Wildcats 2-3 (1-1)
Last Week: 5
Sure, Northwestern is 2-3 with a loss to FCS-Illinois State, however they’re coming off an impressive win over Iowa in Iowa City, a team they’ve struggled against in the past. Besides, they beat a respectable Duke team a couple of weeks ago, nearly took down Western Michigan in week one and were a couple of big plays away from upsetting Nebraska.
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If a couple of things went differently, Northwestern could be 4-1 and a top-25 team. That’s the difference for them this year, though — big plays and calls haven’t gone their way.
The story remains the same for the Wildcats following a win over Iowa. Their defense has been stifling, only allowing 19.8 points per game — 31st in the nation. On the other hand, their offense relies heavily on Justin Jackson, only topping 25 points once this season. It won’t change in 2016, but they might have found a way to win with their strange game plan.
Clayton Thorson has been shaky his whole career, however he’s coming off two straight games in which he completed at least 60 percent of his passes. Not to mention Austin Carr has arguably been the best wide receiver in the Big Ten up to this point. The Wildcats want to run, but if their passing game helps open up lanes for Jackson and relieves pressure off their mediocre offensive line, they have a chance to turn their season around.
Northwestern only has one-loss in the Big Ten in 2016. That being said, with Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin left on their schedule, they only have an outside chance of being a true contender in the Big Ten West.
Northwestern will have a tough road to become bowl eligible but it’s safe to say that they’re one of the best two-win teams in the nation. They’re not great, although don’t be deceived by their 2-3 record.
Mandatory Credit: Matthew O
No. 3 – Minnesota Gophers 3-1 (0-1)
Last Week: 4
Are the Minnesota Gophers for real? Probably not, but they’re not a bad football team, either.
If for no other reason than by default, Minnesota deserves to be ranked third this week. They beat the teams people expected them to and nearly escaped Happy Valley with a win. The Gophers couldn’t protect a 10-point halftime lead and allowed Penn State to drive 53 yards in 52 seconds on eight plays to force overtime, but Minnesota didn’t fold like some people expected.
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Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks each topped 100 yards on the ground. Brooks missed the first couple of weeks, however Minnesota has their dynamic duo in the backfield back and have proven it’s one of the best in the Big Ten. They combined to rush for 204 yards on 37 carries — an astounding 5.5 yards per carry.
Through the air, Mitch Leidner threw just his second interception on the year and completed 60 percent of his passes. Brian Smith and Drew Wolitarsky each came down with seven receptions, as well.
Not to mention Minnesota is allowing a mere 26 points per game this season and held a good offense to 29 points. That was only the second time this season that Penn State failed to score 30 points in a game. Sure, Trace McSorley threw for 335 yards, although they held Saquon Barkley to 3.2 yards per carry.
In the end, Barkley burned them for a 25-yard touchdown run in overtime and ruined the Gophers perfect season. That being said, there’s a real chance that Minnesota starts the season 8-1.
Iowa will be another solid test for a team people are still questioning, though. The Hawkeyes might be favorites, but winning in Minneapolis against a team who is trying to prove something is never easy.
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 – Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-0 (2-0)
Last Week: 2
Nebraska’s early season defining win over Oregon is becoming less impressive by the week. The Cornhuskers are still 5-0 and are ranked as the 12th best team in the latest AP Poll, though. They blew out their early season opponents and finished with convincing wins over Northwestern and Illinois despite slow starts in the last two weeks.
They now have Indiana and Purdue before their brutal two game stretch against Wisconsin and Ohio State. People can continue to question how good Nebraska is, however Tommy Armstrong Jr is playing as well as any quarterback in the Big Ten and they’ve been unstoppable up to this point of the season.
They rank in the top-40 in both points per game and points allowed per game thus far. Not to mention Oregon is the only team to have scored more than 20 points in a single game against Nebraska this season.
Despite a slow start as a team, Terrell Newby finished the game with 140 yards and two touchdowns on the ground this past week. Armstrong didn’t have the best game of his career but he did enough to help Nebraska pull out a win. The Cornhuskers want to run, and that’s what they did against Illinois.
Newby, Armstrong and Devine Ozigbo combined to rush 45 times this past week, compared to 23 passes. The Cornhuskers are averaging a very good 4.9 yards per carry on the ground in 2016, proving that no one has been able to stop them this season.
Nebraska might not be a legitimate top-10 team but they’re winning against the teams on their schedule, and in convincing fashion. Until their games against Wisconsin and Ohio State, there’s no other way to gauge how good this team is.
All we know is Tommy Armstrong Jr is having a career-year, their running game has been unstoppable, and they’ve allowed a mere 17.6 points per game this season. It’s time to jump onto the Cornhuskers bandwagon because they have a legitimate chance of making the Big Ten Championship Game.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1 – Wisconsin Badgers 4-1 (1-1)
Last Week: 1
If a team has had a tougher schedule than the Wisconsin Badgers this season, please let me know. If there is a better defense in the nation this year, please let me know.
Despite losing to the Michigan Wolverines, which is a very acceptable loss, Wisconsin held them to 14 points. We’re talking about a Michigan team who hasn’t scored fewer than 45 points in a single game all season prior to their meeting with Wisconsin.
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Even though they’ve played LSU, Michigan State and Michigan, Wisconsin still ranks sixth in the nation by only giving up 12.2 points per game. Teams are averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and T.J. Watt is leading the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks in 2016. As a team, Wisconsin has recorded 15 sacks in five games thus far.
Their problems have come from the lack of any support on offense. Corey Clement has found the end zone five times this season but he’s averaging a mere 3.9 yards per carry. Plus, a week removed from being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Alex Hornibrook completed only 36 percent of his passes against Michigan and also threw three interceptions to only one touchdown.
Their offense ranks 87th in the nation in points per game this season. They have a week off to try to figure out an effective game plan against Ohio State, however heading into a very important matchup with Nebraska at the end of the month might decide the Big Ten West if the Badgers fall to the Buckeyes.
When it comes down to it, their defense did just enough to hold off LSU, but their offense didn’t show up against Michigan. Either way, the 11th ranked Wisconsin Badgers are exceeding all expectations this season, and their defense is a thing of beauty to watch.
The Badgers would have a chance of being the best team in the nation with even a respectable offense, but, for now, their defense will have to continue carrying the load.
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