Football ESPN - Big Ten Power Rankings - Week #1

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Link: http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/136035/big-ten-power-rankings-week-1-3

Ohio State reigns supreme in our first power rankings of the 2016 season after an impressive undressing of MAC opponent Bowling Green. The top five in the Big Ten are fairly static other than Wisconsin making a jump up the rankings because of its win over No. 5 LSU.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum, Purdue pulled itself off the bottom rung thanks mostly to the beatdown Rutgers suffered at Washington to start the season. A lot more football remains ahead, but here’s where things stand after one weekend of games.

1. Ohio State (1-0): It didn’t take too long for all that youth on the Ohio State roster to find its groove. Behind stellar performances from J.T. Barrett (7 total TDs) and Curtis Samuel (261 offensive yards), the offense hung 77 points on Bowling Green and officially sent notice to the rest of the league that talent shines no matter how old it is.

2. Michigan (1-0): The Wolverines received one first-place vote from our panel after an afternoon when they seemed to be racing the Buckeyes for the largest margin of victory. Hard to say too much about Wilton Speight and company after facing a travel-weary, overmatched Hawaii team at the Big House, but the lack of self-inflicted mistakes (other than the first pass of the game) or missed assignments on either side of the ball is a positive sign for a Michigan team with high hopes this season.

3. Wisconsin (1-0): Could the Badgers turn their treacherous schedule in the first half of the season into a positive? They’re off to a good start after keeping LSU’s offense in check during a 16-14 win at Lambeau Field. No one in the league had a better win this weekend, which unanimously bumped Wisconsin up two spots from where it sat in our preseason power rankings.

4. Iowa (1-0): Steady as always, Akrum Wadley and Leshun Daniels Jr. helped Iowa pound to a 45-21 win over Miami (Ohio) to start the season. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before coasting toward the finish line. They face an interesting test against in-state rival Iowa State next Saturday.

5. Michigan State (1-0): Penalties led to a sluggish start for the Spartans against FCS opponent Furman on Friday night. New quarterback Tyler O’Connor (190 yards, 3 TDs) pulled the troops together to make sure things didn’t get too dicey in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t an inspiring performance for a team with its share of question marks, but Michigan State has a habit of starting with a sloppy game and then rolling to another Big Ten title. No need to hit the panic button yet.

6. Nebraska (1-0): The Cornhuskers' offense ran the ball 51 times in 64 plays and eventually pulled away from Fresno State to give Mike Riley a winning record for the first time since coming to Lincoln a year ago. Oregon looms two weeks down the road, which will be Nebraska’s first chance to gauge real improvement. The biggest statement they made on an emotional opening night was more about remembering punter Sam Foltz than anything else.

7. Minnesota (1-0): Speaking of Mike Riley, Minnesota knocked off his old Oregon State team Thursday night. The Gophers avoided disaster when, after a failed two-point conversion attempt with a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, their defense held off Oregon State on the final drive of the game. Sophomore Rodney Smith ran for 125 yards and two scores in the win.

8. Penn State (1-0): The Nittany Lions finish off a trio of schools in the 6-8 spots that were neck-and-neck in our first round of voting. Trace McSorley's first start at quarterback was promising, but kicker Joey Julius had the best Penn State highlight of the day when he sent a Kent State kick returner stumbling backward after a big collision. Beat Pitt next week and James Franklin's team is bound to climb a bit higher in the rankings.

9. Illinois (1-0): Lovie Smith is off to a good start in Champaign with a 52-3 win over Murray State. Then again, the Illini won their home opener by an identical score a year ago before finishing 5-7. We don’t have to wait long to see if Smith’s defense is ready for a real threat. A visit from North Carolina is up next.

10. Indiana (1-0): The Hoosiers got the year started with a 34-13 road win over Florida International thanks to its defense. (Insert record scratch noise here.) Its defense? Yep, Indiana had two pick-sixes and a safety while holding the Panthers to 63 yards on the ground during a nice introduction for new coordinator Tom Allen.

11. Maryland (1-0): Yes, it came against Howard, but scoring 52 points against anyone is a nice step forward for Maryland’s offense. The Terps got the D.J. Durkin era off to a good start while jumping out to a 35-0 lead in his first half as head coach. Road trips to FIU and UCF in coming weeks give Maryland an opportunity to keep building positive momentum.

12. Northwestern (0-1): A controversial finish -- Western Michigan was rewarded a touchback on an odd play after Wildcats QB Clayton Thorson fumbled at the goal line -- doesn’t change the fact that Northwestern was outgained by 100 yards on offense and allowed four fourth-down conversions on defense against a MAC team on their home field. Pat Fitzgerald's team can bounce back if they can find some support for Justin Jackson (three rushing touchdowns) on offense.

13. Purdue (1-0): Purdue was one of seven Big Ten teams to post at least 40 points in its first week of play. The Boilermakers handled Eastern Kentucky without much of an issue, which pulls them out of the basement of our rankings for the first time in a while.

14. Rutgers (0-1): The high point for Rutgers in Chris Ash's head-coaching debut was a 38-yard field goal that just snuck over the crossbar in the second quarter. By then, No. 14 Washington had already built a 24-0 lead. And then the Huskies took the ensuing kickoff all the way back for another score. Howard should give Ash and company a chance to rebound at home next weekend.