See if Ohio St., Michigan St. are Back on Top in Week 5 Big Ten Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz Big Ten Power Rankings Week 5
9. Northwestern Wildcats, 2-2 (1-0), Defeated Penn State Nittany Lions 29-6 Last Saturday
Perhaps the Northwestern Wildcats could be good after all this year. After a a horrendous start to the season, losing two games they should have been good enough to win, the Wildcats beat Western Illinois to get back on track. Now, a blowout win against Penn State has them back at .500 and at least undefeated in Big Ten play. Who saw that coming on Sept. 6?
The offense for Northwestern has been pathetic, but the defense has carried the Wildcats all year. It did the same Saturday, holding the Nittany Lions to less than 300 yards of offense and forcing 2 turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdowns. If Pat Fitzgerald’s team can do that all season, then they’ll definitely be able to reach 6 wins, but they have to get something going on the other side of the ball eventually.
With Wisconsin on the way to town, this team could feel discouraged again after Saturday, but there’s no reason to think that Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue, and Illinois aren’t all winnable games. This team could be on the rise, so watch out.