Big Ten Power Rankings: Week Three

Story posted September 17, 2013 in CommRadio, Sports by Ryan Stevens and Tyler Feldman

1. Ohio State (3-0)

Last week: (W) @ California 52-34

This week: @ Florida A&M (1-2)

With Braxton Miller sitting on the sidelines yesterday, senior quarterback Kenny Guiton came out firing.  Guiton compiled 276 yards in the air, 96 yards on the ground and four touchdowns for the Buckeyes in Berkley.  Don’t expect Ohio State to rush Miller back this week as a much weaker Florida A&M team comes into Columbus.   –Ryan Stevens

2. Michigan (3-0)

Last week: (W) Akron 28-24

This week: UCONN (0-2)

Michigan escaped an upset bid and survived Akron. The Wolverines nearly lost on the final play of the game, which speaks volumes to the toughness of the MAC. Devin Gardner accumulated over 350 yards of offense, but his three interceptions cannot be overlooked. This Michigan team is very talented, but they need to avoid turnovers if they want to have continued success throughout the season.  –Tyler Feldman

3. Northwestern (3-0)

Last week: (W) Western Michigan 38-17

This week: Maine (3-0)

Thanks in large part to a very tough-nosed offensive line, RB Treyvon Green looked electric, rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Northwestern is off to its second straight 3-0 start under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who has done a fantastic job turning around the Wildcats program. This is a smart, disciplined team that has the talent to be successful in the Big Ten this season.  –Tyler Feldman

4. Wisconsin (2-1)

Last week: (L) @ Arizona State 32-30

This week: Purdue (1-2)

A controversial ending left the Badgers with their first loss on the young season.  Despite a 193 yard running performance by sophomore Melvin Gordon, the Badgers defense was thwarted by the Sun Devil offense, giving up over 468 total yards of offense.  Wisconsin hopes to open up Big Ten play on a high note, as a slumping Purdue team comes into Madison.  –Ryan Stevens

5. Michigan State (3-0)

Last week: (W) Youngstown State 55-17

This week: Notre Dame (2-1)

Finally one of Michigan State’s quarterback projects found success on the football field. Connor Cook delivered four touchdown passes against Youngstown State en route to victory. Even better is the fact that Cook connected with four different receivers on each of his four touchdown passes. The real test for the Spartans comes next week when they face off against Notre Dame.   –Tyler Feldman

6. Penn State (2-1)

Last week: (L) Central Florida 34-31

This week: Kent State (1-2)

Despite a late rally attempt, Penn State fell victim to the upset-minded Central Florida.  Behind a two-touchdown performance from junior running back Storm Johnson, Central Florida’s offense racked up over 500 total yards of offense.  Penn State will look to finish up their non-conference slate strong at home against Kent State.   –Ryan Stevens

7. Nebraska (2-1)

Last week: (L) UCLA 41-21

This week: South Dakota State (3-0)

A very good UCLA team embarrassed Nebraska this past Saturday by 20 points. Up 21-10 at halftime, Nebraska looked to have the advantage, but the Bruins outscored the Cornhuskers 31-0 in the second half to win 41-21.  Taylor Martinez was very good, throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns, but the defense just had no answers for the Bruins high-powered offense. A disappointing loss, but look for Nebraska to compete in the Big Ten this year.   –Tyler Feldman

8. Minnesota (3-0)

Last week: (W) Western Illinois 29-12

This week: San Jose State (1-1)

Minnesota head coach, Jerry Kill, suffered a seizure on the sidelines, but the Gophers managed to overcome the distraction and win. Up only 7-6 after two quarters, Kill was hospitalized after the seizure during halftime. The Golden Gophers outscored the Leathernecks 22-6 in the second half. David Cobb and Rodrick Williams Jr. each rushed for two touchdowns, but the team struggled generating anything else on offense. Right now they are just Gophers. There isn’t anything Golden about them just yet.  –Tyler Feldman

9. Illinois (2-1)

Last week: (L) Washington 34-24

This week: BYE

After a convincing win over Cincinnati last week, the Illini fell victim to a very talented Washington team.  The Illini defense couldn’t stop the Huskies all afternoon long, giving up over 600 total yards in Soldier Field.  Illinois is off this week before hosting Miami (Ohio) September 28th in Champaign.  –Ryan Stevens

10. Indiana (2-1)

Last week: (W) Bowling Green 42-10

This week: Missouri (2-0)

Indiana bounced back this week nicely at home behind the arm of Nate Sudfeld.  Sudfeld’s 335 yards passing, combined with the 226 rushing yards, helped take care of a probable MAC contender in Bowling Green.  35 unanswered points by the offense helped a defense, which was gashed for over 400 yards on the ground last week against Navy.  Indiana will look to conquer their best non-conference opponent as Missouri will come into Bloomington this week.  –Ryan Stevens

11. Iowa (2-1)

Last week: (W) Iowa State 27-21

This week: Western Michigan (0-3)

Thanks to a pair of Jake Rudock touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown, Iowa was able to hold off a potent comeback from Iowa State. Mark Weisman rushed for 145 yards, too. The Hawkeyes just do not have the talent necessary to compete in the Big Ten this year. Look for them to win no more than conference games this season.   –Tyler Feldman

12. Purdue (1-2)

Last week: (W) Indiana State 20-14

This week: Notre Dame (2-1)

Maybe the most pleasant surprise this week in the Big Ten came out of West Lafayette.  Purdue had to hang on just to beat Indiana State last week, but the Boilermakers looked like a completely different team last weekend.  Notre Dame caught fire in the fourth quarter behind two touchdown catches from junior receiver DaVaris Daniels.  Purdue will need a repeat performance, especially in the run defense, to be able to hang with Wisconsin in Camp Randall.  –Ryan Stevens

About the Contributors

Ryan Stevens's photo

Ryan Stevens

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Ryan is a senior from Bloomington, Illinois majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in english.  He has been involved with numerous radio shows, play-by-plays, beat writes and producing various Penn State athletics events since his first days of being on campus in the fall of 2012 with ComRadio. Since the fall of 2013, Ryan has been involved with State College’s ESPN Radio 1450 as an assistant producer intern and high school football reporter.

During the summer of 2014, Ryan co-hosted Sports Central with Cory Giger streaming over Altoona, Pa. and State College Pa. markets. Ryan also assisted USA Basketball media coverage in New York for World Cup of Basketball exhibition games.

Ryan was the marketing & communications intern for USA Track & Field at the national office in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the media contact for the 2015 USATF Hershey Youth Outdoor Championships as well as the 2015 National Junior Olympics.

Ryan is also a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. He can be reached via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and following him on twitter @RyanAStevens.

Tyler Feldman's photo

Tyler Feldman

Senior / Broadcast Journalism and Marketing

Currently, Feldman is an executive producer, reporter and anchor for the Centre County Report, as well as ComRadio’s senior sports director. He also is the host of the Penn State Coaches Show featuring Guy Gadowsky, which airs live from Lettermans on ESPN Radio 1450 and GoPSUSports.com every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Additionally, he was the first to report the hiring of Joe Moorhead as Penn State football’s new offensive coordinator on December 12, 2015.

He’s a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism within the College of Communications and enrolled in the Smeal College of Business.

Feldman, a Pittsburgh native, has broadcasted sporting events from a number of international and professional venues, including Estadio Latinoamericano in Cuba, Madison Square Garden, CONSOL Energy Center, Wells Fargo Center, MetLife Stadium, M&T Bank Stadium, and EverBank Field.

Last spring, he traveled with the Penn State men’s volleyball team as their play-by-play man, announcing his very first NCAA tournament matches at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion.

He has gained valuable broadcasting and reporting experience interning and working at WTAJ-TV, MLB Network, GoPSUSports.com, 105.9 The X, 970 AM ESPN, Big Ten Network Student U, and State College’s ESPN Radio 1450.

Feldman has a strong passion for sports and dreams to become a sports anchor/reporter in a national market and/or a hockey play-by-play announcer.