Big Ten Power Rankings: Has Ohio State done enough to be No.1?
By Mark Rogers
Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
The Elite
1. Northwestern (4-0)
Call me crazy, then follow the logic.
The Wildcats now own the most impressive win in the conference and two of the top five – both on the road. Northwestern’s 16-6 Week 1 win over Stanford opened eyes at the time, though most pegged the Cardinal for a down year. Stanford has since won at USC by ten points and dismantled Oregon State on the road.
Northwestern also went to Duke and won 19-10. The Blue Devils turned around and whipped Georgia Tech by 14. We’re talking results remember?
The Wildcats only beat Ball State 24-19, but kept the Cardinals in the game with three first half turnovers. This is Northwestern. They’re not going to blow (hardly) anyone away. The offense did come to life though with 546 total yards led by freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson (18-of-31, 256 pass yards, 3 TD, INT) and Justin Jackson (33 carries, 184 yards).
Now it really gets interesting.
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