Around the B1G: Week 2 Edition

Mike and I had a discussion on The Sons of Schmidt a few weeks ago where we were talking about the “Most Overrated” and “Most Underrated” conferences in America heading into the season. My response was that I really wanted to put the Big Ten for each of these categories. I feel like the top end of the B1G will be considered highly overrated by season’s end due to so many teams being ranked in the Top-12. Some of those teams (psst…PSU) are going to lose a few games and won’t be near the Top-10 at seasons end.

At the same time, I felt like the bottom end of the B1G was vastly underrated purely for the amount of really good coaches now with some of those teams. Every B1G team has a darn good coach right now, outside of Michigan, and that coaching depth will begin to show this season.

This weekend, my theory is starting off in the right direction with the B1G going 10-2 against out-of-conference opponents. As impressive as that sounds, it is even more impressive when you consider the only two losses came from two of the worst teams (Rutgers and Purdue) in the conference and both of them played a highly-ranked opponent really tough. As a whole, this was one of the most impressive weekends for the B1G as a whole…now let’s just hope it can continue through the year.

Let’s dive headfirst into the shallow end and start off with the Fighting Illini as we take a look around B1G country.

Illinois (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Ball State, 24-21. Illinois’ bread and butter, even when they have been atrocious, is running the ball. This weekend against Ball State they could never get the run game going as they only averaged 2.37 yards per carry on 30 carries. Things may not get much easier for the Illinois ground game as they now face a Western Kentucky defense that only gave up 25 yards rushing on 22 carries last week. New starting quarterback Chayce Crouch threw for 145 yards and one touchdown on the day.

This Week: vs Western Kentucky

This Week in Recruiting:  Last week, the Illini received a commitment from 3-Star Dual-Threat QB Cordell Littlejohn out of Georgia. They sit at 14 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 83.33.

Indiana (0-1 overall, 0-1 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Ohio State, 21-49. Indiana came out on fire against the Buckeyes, but we all know how it ended. The Hoosiers had a great game plan for the young Buckeye defense and it paid early dividends. Losing receiver Nick Westbrook (JR) on the first play of the game was a huge loss for the Hoosiers. Junior QB Richard Lagow looked impressive throwing for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Wide Receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr. looked completely healthy after missing all of last year as he finished with 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.

This Week: at Virginia

This Week in Recruiting: Indiana did not have any commits this week. They sit at 15 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 84.25.

Iowa (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Wyoming, 24-3. As you may have been able to tell last week, I had my doubts with the sudden hype building around Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen (JR) and his supposed greatness. He came into Iowa City as a darkhorse Heisman candidate and surefire first-round pick and left simply as the Wyoming QB. The Hawkeyes defense held Allen to 174 yards passing, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. The talented senior running back duo of Akrum Wadley and James Butler combined for 166 yards on the ground. Sophomore Nate Stanley, the new Hawkeye QB, threw for 125 yards and three touchdowns.

This Week: at Iowa State

This Week in Recruiting: Last week, the Hawkeyes received a commitment from 3-Star Safety Julius Brents out of Indiana. They sit at 13 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 85.02.

Maryland (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win at Texas, 51-41. In one of the more surprising games of the weekend, the Terrapins started off the Tom Herman era in Austin with an upset loss. In typical Big 12 fashion, the Longhorn defense had no answer for any type of offense as Maryland put up 482 yards. Sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome played fantastic as the new Terrapin QB combining for 239 yards of total offense and three touchdowns before leaving the game with a knee injury. Unfortunately, on Tuesday it was revealed Pigrome had torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

Durkin says #Terps starting QB Tyrrell Pigrome tore his ACL and will have surgery later this week. Will miss remainder of season.

— Scott Greene (@TerrapinNation) September 5, 2017

This Week: vs Towson

This Week in Recruiting: Maryland did not have any commits this week.  They sit at 20 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 86.56.

(8) Michigan (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Florida (Dallas, TX), 33-17. Michigan looked as impressive as anyone in the country as they took on the shorthanded Florida Gators. It’s really hard to get a feel for how good or bad the Wolverines are with the Gators being so shorthanded due to 10 suspensions in this game. The Wolverine defense looked as good as we’ve seen from them in a while. There is a tremendous amount of team speed there. Whether they were missing their best offensive weapons or not, holding a good Gator team to 192 total yards of offense and only 9 first downs is pretty dang good. I’ll be curious to see how this Michigan defense grows as the year goes on.

This Week: vs Cincinnati

This Week in Recruiting: Michigan did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 13 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 90.04.

Michigan State (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Bowling Green, 35-10. The Spartans came out a little sluggish but they were able to get things going behind sophomore Brian Lewerke as he threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 69 yards on the ground. Junior running back LJ Scott struggled to get anything going as he carried the ball 15 times for 39 yards. The Spartan defense held a typically potent Falcon offense to 212 total yards.

This Week: vs Western Michigan

This Week in Recruiting: The Spartans did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 15 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 85.66.

Minnesota (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Buffalo, 17-7. The Golden Gophers struggled to really get things going in PJ Fleck’s debut as Gopher head coach. The Golden Gophers were able to put up 14 quick points in the first quarter but then were shut out until they kicked a field goal with a little over two minutes left in the game. The junior running back tandem of Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks combined for 145 yards rushing and one touchdown. The Gophers also utilize a tandem at quarterback with senior Conor Rhoda and sophomore Demry Croft. These two combined for 239 yards passing and one touchdown on the day.

This Week: at Oregon State

This Week in Recruiting: The Golden Gophers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 23 boat rowers in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 84.17.

Nebraska (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Beat Arkansas State, 43-36. I don’t even know where to begin with the Cornhuskers. We are supposed to believe they are back and all, but I’m just not too sure. The “Blackshirts” may have their hands full on Saturday against Oregon after giving up 497 yards of total offense and 36 points to Arkansas State. Offensively, Cornhusker savior junior Tanner Lee threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. One time Buckeye commit, freshman Tyjon Lindsey had three catches for 14 yards in his collegiate debut. Sophomore running back Tre Bryant had the most impressive day running for 192 yards and one touchdown.

This Week: at Oregon

This Week in Recruiting: The Cornhuskers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 10 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 89.41.

Northwestern (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Nevada, 31-20. I’ve been pretty excited about the potential the Wildcats offense has and they didn’t disappoint. Junior Clayton Thorson completed 73% of his passes as he threw for 352 yards and combined for 4 touchdowns. Senior Justin Jackson continued his march up the B1G record books rushing for 109 yards. This week against Duke will prove to be a lot more difficult for the Wildcats offense.

This Week: vs Duke

This Week in Recruiting: The Wildcats did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 15 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 85.52.

(4) Penn State (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Akron, 52-0. Penn State was supposed to win big and they did against the Zips. The Nittany Lion offense combined for 569 yards of total offense and the defense held Akron to 159 total yards. Feaux Heisman contender junior Trace McSorley had 328 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns. Real Heisman contender junior Saquon Barkley had 172 yards rushing and two touchdowns on only 14 carries. Former Buckeye running back Warren Ball was held to 27 yards rushing on 13 carries.              

This Week: vs Pittsburgh

This Week in Recruiting: The Nittany Lions did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 23 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 90.70.

Purdue (0-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Louisville (Indianapolis, IN), 28-35. In a shocking turn of events, the Boilermakers looked like a real football team on Saturday. Junior QB David Blough struggled to really get going and was pulled for sophomore Elijah Sindelar. The two QB’s combined for 293 passing yards and four touchdowns, but their three combined interceptions hurt. Moving forward, the Boilermakers will need to get some production from their running backs to really get things going. On the day, the Boilermakers only had 51 yards rushing on 21 carries as a team.

This Week: vs Ohio

This Week in Recruiting: The Boilermakers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 21 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 82.40.

Rutgers (0-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Loss to Washington, 14-30. Much like Purdue, Rutgers shocked the world by playing a Top-25 team well but coming up a little short at the end. Rutgers held the very potent Washington offense to only 368 yards of total offense. Rutgers duo of senior running backs Gus Edwards and Robert Martin combined for 134 rushing yards. The Rutgers defense held Heisman contender Jake Browning to 284 yards passing on the day.           

This Week: vs Eastern Michigan

This Week in Recruiting: Rutgers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 20 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 83.28.

(11) Wisconsin (1-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Utah State, 59-10. It took a little bit of time for the Badgers to get going but once they did it looked like your typical Badger team. After the first quarter, the Aggies led the Badgers 10-0. Utah State was able to continue the shutout until late in the second quarter when the Badgers began their onslaught of 59 unanswered points. Freshman Jonathan Taylor and sophomore Bradrick Shaw led the rushing attack as the Badgers combined for 234 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Sophomore QB Alex Hornibrook threw for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.

This Week: vs Florida Atlantic

This Week in Recruiting: The Badgers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 18 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 85.27.

B1G Standings