My first 2017 Big Ten football power rankings
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Big Ten's most powerful football team at this early stage of the season will face the conference's sixth most powerful team on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium..
At least, that's how I see it with my first Big Ten power rankings for the 2017 season. I prefer to wait until Iowa finishes its nonconference schedule to start ranking the teams because there is more information to use.
Iowa finished 3-0 in nonconference play, but it wasn't easy against what is perceived as an easy nonconference schedule.There is a lot to like about this Iowa team, including the quick start by sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley, but also a lot to question, including a defense that now looks vulnerable after struggling in each of the past two games.
I still think Ohio State is the most talented Big Ten team on paper followed by Michigan. But the games are played on the field where the Buckeyes have struggled this season, especially with their down-field passing attack.
Urban Meyer will most likely figure things out because he's Urban Meyer, and because he coaches talent-rich Ohio State.
For now, though, the Buckeyes don't deserve to be on top after getting whipped at home by Oklahoma.
1. Penn State, 3-0 – The NCAA did Penn State a huge, and an unecessary favor, by softening NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky child-rape scandal. But James Franklin also deserves credit for leading this resurgence and for giving the program an identity free of the Joe Paterno influence. Penn State's roster is stacked again with talent, especially at the skill positions.
2. Michigan, 3-0 – Since being hired by his alma mater before the 2015 season, Jim Harbaugh has led Michigan to back-to-back 10-win seasons, visited the Pope and shown a willingness to do about whatever it takes to land big-time recruits, including having sleepovers with them. Now he just has to figure out a way to defeat Ohio State and win a Big Ten title.
3. Wisconsin, 3-0 – The Badgers are just like the Wisconsin men's basketball team in that you keep waiting for both teams to be average, and yet it never happens. Is it the Barry Alvarez effect? I'm thinking that's how Barry would explain it.
4. Ohio State, 2-1 – Urban Meyer blames his team's slow start on having too many three-star and low four-star recruits on the Ohio State roster.
5. Minnesota, 3-0 – P.J. Fleck still hasn't rowed his boat in the Big Ten's rough waters, but he's undefeated in his new job and he once said 400 words in 15 seconds while jogging uphill backwards.
6. Iowa, 3-0 – So far, Brian Ferentz has earned his allowance from his father, whatever that might be. Iowa is undefeated and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in passing efficiency. Yes, that's right, passing efficiency.
7. Maryland, 2-0 – Ninety percent of you probably can't name the Maryland head coach, but his name is D.J. Durkin and the Terrapins are a dangerous team that Iowa fortunately avoids this season.
8. Purdue, 2-1 – The sudden resurgence under first-year coach Jeff Brohm is the most impressive thing to happen to Purdue athletics since Gene Keady's comb over and scowl.
9. Northwestern, 2-1 – Pat Fitzgerald denies a report that Northwestern tried to drop Duke from its 2017 schedule in order to soften the schedule by playing the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Wildcats lost at Duke 41-17 on Sept. 9 in Durham, N.C..
10. Michigan State, 2-0 – The Spartans are showing signs of life again under Mark Dantonio, and more importantly, staying out of jail.
11. Indiana, 1-1 – The Hoosiers are tough to read after playing just two games under new coach Tom Allen. They hung with Ohio State for a while in the season opener and then pounded hapless Virginia 34-17 in week two in Charlottesville, Va. Indiana's third game against Florida International was cancelled last Saturday due to Hurricane Irma. The Hoosiers always seem to have talented players on offense, and this season is more of the same, with players such as receiver Simmie Cobbs. Indiana's problem is on defense, but that is also Allen's area of expertise, as he the a polar opposite of previous head coach Kevin Wilson. So we'll just have to wait and see if Allen can make a difference.
12. Nebraska, 1-2 – Unless the situation improves in a hurry, the Big Ten might force Nebraska to play all of its games on Wednesday morning.
13. Rutgers, 2-1 – The Scarlet Knights owe a big thanks to Illinois for looking so bad on paper to where the Big Ten's worst team no longer resides in New Jersey.
14. Illinois, 1-2 – The situation looks so bleak for Lovie Smith right now, but he can take solace in knowing that the Beef House on exit 4 in Indiana is less than an hour from Champaign, Ill.