Around the B1G: Week 5 Edition

We are at that point of the year where any SEC team with a pulse gets shuffled around the meaningless AP and Coaches poll to prove dominance. This week we had the privilege of watching Georgia jump up into the Top-10 because of their huge win over Mississippi State…who for some reason jumped up into the Top-20 last week simply because of their win over LSU. Have no fear though, Mississippi State stayed in the Top-25 after their butt-whooping because they have Auburn up next and we have to make sure Auburn gets credit for a ranked win somewhere to build up that Iron Bowl intrigue. It’s all part of the game and no one should really be surprised or upset at this point.

But like every Twitter parent tells you, none of these polls matter right now so shut up and color. For me personally, it does get old when you work in an office full of lawyers who all graduated from various SEC schools. The writers who vote don’t watch 90% of the games and the “coaches” who vote don’t watch 95% of the games. Each team in the Top-15 essentially controls their own destiny at this point and that is what makes college football so exciting.

Illinois (2-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week. This week the Fighting Illini take on the Cornhuskers in what will be a lot more difficult game than most would think. The Illinois defense is getting one interception per game and Cornhusker QB Tanner Lee is giving away a lot more than that. The Illini front seven will have to show up with their best effort after a Jekyll and Hyde first three games. After holding Western Kentucky to 16 yards rushing in their second game, South Florida was able to run at will totaling 376 rushing yards on 5.7 yards per attempt. With the Cornhuskers new rush first approach, the Illini defense will have to rebound up front to have a chance. If I was Lovie Smith, I would stack the box and force Tanner Lee to win a game especially with Tre Bryant (Nebraska RB) doubtful.

This Week: vs Nebraska

This Week in Recruiting:  Illinois did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 15 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 83.50.

Indiana (2-1 overall, 0-1 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Georgia Southern, 52-17. The Hoosiers had their final tune-up before heading to Happy Valley to take on the red hot Nittany Lions. As I mentioned last week, in order for the Hoosiers to have a chance against Penn State, they had to really work on their running game to take some pressure off of Richard Lagow. Against Georgia Southern, they did just that by rushing the ball 47 times and only throwing the ball 22 times. Freshman Morgan Ellison led the attack with 186 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Coming into the game, the starting tailback only had 71 rushing yards so it was good for the Hoosiers to get him going.

This Week: at Penn State

This Week in Recruiting: Indiana did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 15 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 84.14.

Iowa (3-1 overall, 0-1 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Penn State, 21-19. Maybe I just have different tastes but everyone is talking about how great of a game this was. Honestly, I thought it was a pretty bad game for the first three quarters. The fourth quarter was pretty darn fun but you have to admit the first three quarters weren’t a whole lot of fun. Everyone knew the Hawkeyes would play Penn State tough. A night game at Kinnick Stadium is going to be hard for any away team to come out with a win. This is why many people are worried about when the Buckeyes travel there in November. Senior Akrum Wadley had another great game as he had 155 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns. The star of the game for the Hawkeyes was senior LB Josey Jewell who had 16 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss, 1 fumble return, 1 interception, and 2 pass break-ups.

This Week: at Michigan State

This Week in Recruiting: Iowa did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 13 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 85.02.

Maryland (2-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs UCF, 38-10. In a brutal turn of events, the Terrapins lost another QB as freshman Kasim Hill left the game against UCF after a vicious hit. Any momentum Maryland had prior to Hill’s injury was immediately taken away when he was helped off of the field.

https://twitter.com/POBSports/status/913081155859156992

Filling in for him was Sophomore Max Bortenschlager who struggled severely only throwing for 132 yards with 2 interceptions. The Terrapin offense went from explosive, to very good, to one dimensional in a matter of three games. It makes you appreciate the Buckeye QB depth and the fact that we can actually even have a conversation about 2 guys who could possibly take over for a guy who holds almost every B1G passing record there is.

This Week: at Minnesota

This Week in Recruiting: Maryland did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 20 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 86.56.

(8) Michigan (4-0 overall, 1-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Purdue, 28-10. As I stated numerous times, I didn’t feel like Purdue would be a big time threat for Michigan. I know, I know, the Wolverines struggled to start things off but they were able to rattle off 21 unanswered second half points to put the game out of reach. The big news in this game was the injury to senior Wilton Speight. The starting QB was hit from behind after being sacked. Watching the game, I’m not entirely sure how it wasn’t a penalty but whatevs. The good news for the Wolverines was that senior back-up John O’Korn came in and was semi-impressive throwing for 270 yards. Whenever Speight is healthy, it will be interesting to see how Harbaugh moves forward.

This Week: Bye Week

This Week in Recruiting: Michigan received a commitment from 3-Star QB Kevin Doyle out of Washington D.C. They sit at 14 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 89.78.

Michigan State (2-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Notre Dame, 38-18.  This was a pretty disappointing game for Michigan State. I know that I was curious on how good Michigan State actually was this year. My expectations were low heading into the season but the win against Western Michigan gave me a little bit of hope. Any amount of hope I had was quickly diminished as Notre Dame jumped out to a 28-7 lead by halftime. Getting down big early forced Michigan State to abandon the run game only giving junior LJ Scott and senior Gerald Holmes 17 combined carries. Sophomore QB Brian Lewerke had 340 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, and 2 touchdowns. Michigan State has a rough stretch coming up and I could legitimately see them losing at least five of their next seven games…if not all seven.

This Week: vs Iowa

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 (3-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week. Minnesota will look to get their run game going early and often against Maryland after the Terrapins gave up 250 rushing yards to UCF last week. Juniors Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks lead the Gopher ground attack averaging 172 combined rushing yards per game. A Maryland team without Tyrrell Pigrome or Kasim Hill at quarterback is a lot less threatening so Minnesota should be able to move to 4-0 with and work on a few things before heading to West Lafayette the following week.

This Week: vs Maryland

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 (2-2 overall, 1-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Rutgers, 27-17. The Cornhuskers made the wise decision to take the entire offense out of Tanner Lee’s (9 INTs through 4 games) hands and focus on the ground game. With talented sophomore RB Tre Bryant missing his second straight game, juniors Devine Ozigbo and Mikale Wilbon combined for 179 yards on 38 carries. With Illinois on deck, the Cornhuskers must be anxious to get the game going and continue pounding it on the ground after seeing Illinois give up 376 rushing yards to USF two weeks ago.

This Week: at Illinois

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 (2-1 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week. Northwestern had an extra week of preparation as they head to Madison this weekend to take on the undefeated Badgers. I had very high hopes for the Wildcats as they entered the season but you just don’t know which team you are going to get. Senior RB Justin Jackson and junior QB Clayton Thorson are each one of the best in the B1G at their respective positions but neither have been consistent this season. Jackson is only averaging 82 yards per game and Thorson has only thrown 4 TDs on the season. It will be tough sledding for the Wildcats offense against a tough Badger defense who is only giving up 248 yards per game.

This Week: at Wisconsin

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 (4-0 overall, 1-0 conference)

Last Week: Win vs Iowa, 21-19. Let’s just go ahead and give the Heisman trophy to Saquon Barkley. The guy is truly one of the best RBs college football has seen in a while. This is really hard to admit because I think Penn State is essentially the scum of the earth. Against the Hawkeyes at Kinnick on a Saturday night, Barkley averaged 7.5 yards per carry (214 yards), had 12 receptions (94 yards), had 53 kick return yards, and added one touchdown. Think about that for a minute, Saquon Barkley had 358 all-purpose yards all by himself against a very good team who would be ranked in the Top-20 if they spoke with a little more twang. Credit where credit is due, Saquon Barkley is an absolute beast. Trace McSorley, I still hate you and I hope you are sacked 1000 times on October 28th.

This Week: vs Indiana

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 90.66.

Purdue (2-2 overall, 0-1 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Michigan, 28-10. I said it last week, I thought there was zero chance that Purdue would beat Michigan. I understand why people thought this would be a good game. The Boilermakers are showing a pulse for the first time in years. They had just came off of a win against an SEC school…even though Missouri is god awful. Heck, their coach is one of the best young talents around. The problem with me was this, Purdue just isn’t that good right now. No media member hyping up their win against Missouri was going to tell me otherwise. After this bye week, the Boilermakers have Minnesota and Wisconsin. Call me if they beat either of those teams.

This Week: Bye Week

This Week in Recruiting: The Boilermakers did not receive a commitment last week. They sit at 22 members in the 2018 class with a 247Sports Composite average of 82.57.

Rutgers (1-3 overall, 0-1 conference)

Last Week: Loss vs Nebraska, 27-17. The Scarlet Knights had a rough time in Lincoln only managing 194 yards of total offense against a very suspect Cornhusker defense. The running back combination of seniors Gus Edwards and Robert Martin were held to 72 rushing yards on 20 carries. Senior QB Kyle Bolin has had a rough start to the year as he is only averaging 160 passing yards per game and has thrown 6 interceptions compared to 3 touchdowns. I may be going out on a limb here but I feel like the Buckeyes may be able to pull this one out on Saturday night. Look for another dominant defensive performance against the starting unit but no promises on what the freshmen squad does when they are in during the second half.                

This Week: vs Ohio State

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 83.25.

(10) Wisconsin (3-0 overall, 0-0 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week. As you may have been able to tell over the past couple of weeks, I am a pretty big fan of freshman RB Jonathan Taylor. Through three games the true freshman is averaging 146 yards per game which is easily best in the B1G. Think of how good Saquon Barkley (7.85 yards per carry) and J.K. Dobbins (7.54 ypc) have been running the ball. Those two have been amazing so far but then think about how Taylor is averaging 8.26 yards per carry. Now I’m not trying to imply I would take Taylor over Barkley or Dobbins. I do think it will be fun to watch these three, and Weber now that he is healthy, over the course of the final 8-9 games. As far as Northwestern goes, I think the Badgers will win pretty easily.

This Week: vs Northwestern

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 85.29.

B1G Standings