Wow, what a weekend for the Big Ten. The conference went 10-2 outside of conference play in Week 1 of the 2017 college football season. Even the two losses by Purdue and Rutgers weren’t any type of embarrassing losses.
We here at The-Ozone finally sat down around the table in the conference room to discuss our first Big Ten Power Poll. A couple of things we learned are that Tony Gerdeman needs to take his shoes off to count, and that there will eventually be a mandatory drug test for our voters, and you’ll soon see why.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) won at Indiana 49-21
The voters here have placed Ohio State as high as one and as low as three on their respective ballots. The Buckeyes started slowly, but found their rhythm after making key adjustments. Picking up a division conference win already is big.
“Ohio State has the best record in the Big Ten, so my hands are tied here.” — Tony Gerdeman
2. Michigan Wolverines (1-0) defeated Florida (33-17)
The Maize and Blue had an impressive-looking defense. Replacing ten starters on defense and looking like they improved their speed makes Michigan fans puff up their chests.
“How much of that was Michigan? How much of that was because they played Florida?” — Chip Minnich
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) defeated Akron (52-0)
The Nittany Lions dominated Akron in their game. The offense looked very sharp and the defense was very stout.
“Looked good, but the upcoming game with Pitt will be huge. Don’t let Pitt’s game with YSU fool you.” — Brandon Zimmerman
4. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) defeated Utah St ( 59-10)
Bucky had a slow start before they could finally Jump Around. In the second half, they found their rhythm and jumped all over Utah St.
“Utah State is nothing great, but 59 points in basically 32 minutes is an achievement.” — Tom Orr
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0) defeated Wyoming (24-3)
Iowa showed their defensive strengths while putting together an offense that did enough to win.
“Iowa played well not looking ahead to their rivalry game against Iowa St. Their defense was Big Ten-like while their offense was paint-drying like.” — Shannon Sommers
6. Maryland Terrapins (1-0) defeated Texas (51-41)
Maryland went on the road to Texas and came home with a victory. This game showed why preseason polls are meaningless.
“Maryland was able to move the ball at will against a basic Big 12 defense.” — Brandon Zimmerman
7. Indiana Hoosiers (0-1) lost to Ohio State (49-21)
Give the Hoosiers credit, they were giving the Buckeyes fits for almost three quarters. The game is four quarters long, however, so thanks for the “Overrated” chants in the third quarter.
“This may be absurdly high, but IU played one heck of a half of football against OSU.” — Tom Orr
8. Michigan State Spartans (1-0) defeated Bowling Green (35-10)
Sparty starting the season off on the right foot. Only two more wins until they tie last year’s record.
“This was exactly the kind of Sparty win that MSU had back when they were good.” — Tony Gerdeman
9. Northwestern Wildcats (1-0) defeated Nevada (31-20)
Northwestern walked away with the win, but they didn’t look very good doing it. They shouldn’t have struggled this badly.
“Had to rally against a Nevada team with a brand new coaching staff.” — Chip Minninch
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0) defeated Buffalo (17-7)
New head coach P. J. Fleck has the team starting to Row the Boat in the right direction with a win in Week 1.
“I didn’t see any of this one, but 17-7 vs. Buffalo isn’t going to impress anyone.” — Tom Orr
Tie-11. Purdue Boilermakers (0-1) lost to Louisville (35-28)
Boilermakers definitely didn’t look like the same old Boilermakers
“Purdue had the best moral victory of the weekend.” — Tony Gerdeman
Tie-11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) defeated Arkansas State (43-36)
Not going to go far in the Big Ten having a Big 12 defense.
13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-1) lost to Washington (30-14)
Rutgers scored 14 more points against a playoff team from last season than they did against Ohio St, Michigan, or Penn St last year.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) defeated Ball State (24-21)
This was the only vote that was near unanimous. Lovie Smith has his hands full in Champaign.
Let us know your thoughts on our initial Big Ten Power Poll.
I think they’re playing chess….
I was most impressed with the Rutgers game. Washington is a very good team and the Scarlet Knights hung with them.
If Rutgers could find someone capable of teaching offense they would be a terrific team. Jerry Kill is NOT the answer. Paint dries much quicker than his offenses play football. I know Jerry is the “feel good” story, but come on, they shouldn’t have to lose games because of it.
I wonder if as a defensive guy, Ash just doesn’t want the offense putting the defense in bad spots. Shorten the game until you have the skill to match up against the good teams on the schedule.