Big Ten Football Power Rankings 2017: Week 3 edition
By Shane Lunnen
Remember a week ago when many were praising Rutgers for hanging with Washington for nearly the entire game? Those good thoughts about Rutgers did not last long. The Scarlet Knights laid an egg at home against Eastern Michigan.
Entering the game, the Eagles had never beaten a Power 5 school in 59 tries. Rutgers was out-gained by Eastern Michigan, 374 yards to 326 yards, and the they also lost the turnover battle. Defensively Rutgers played okay, but this was not some powerhouse they held to 16 points. It’s going to be another very long season in Piscataway. Rutgers hosts Morgan State next week, in a game that could be their only win of the year.
It’s definitely a positive sign that Illinois has started the season at 2-0. The Illini defense was the star of their Saturday night game against Western Kentucky. They smothered the Hilltoppers all evening, building a 20-0 lead into the fourth quarter before Western Kentucky finally did get on the board with a touchdown. The Illini then held onto that lead to close it out 20-7.
The Illinois defense only allowed six total rushing yards on the evening, although Western Kentucky’s quarterback Mike White did throw for 238 yards through the air. It was a good win for Love Smith’s team, however it does not move the needle enough for them to jump up in the rankings. Illinois is scheduled to play in Tampa this Friday against South Florida, but the aftermath of Hurricane Irma could affect the game.
Not much went right for Northwestern this past Saturday as they were dominated at Duke, 41-17. The Wildcats could only muster 191 total yards while giving up 538 to the Blue Devils. This isn’t so much a knock on Duke, but this was supposed to be one of the best defenses under head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
It wasn’t just the defense as the offense was stuck in neutral the entire game. The Wildcats can still compete in the Big Ten West, but they will need to correct their issues fast. Northwestern returns home to play Bowling Green next week.