Big Ten Power Rankings Week 2: Ohio State Still On Top But Penn State Closing Gap
By Corey Hunter
![UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Amani Oruwariye UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Amani Oruwariye](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/2b7648a672d274ccaa58adb8be422f57dfc7ebdf5ed2581ffaa80845d7986d1a.jpg)
No. 5 Northwestern (Last Week – 6) ↑1
Pat Fitzgerald’s crew looked sleepy in a hard-fought 31-20 victory over the Nevada Wolfpack. A late Clayton Thorson touchdown was needed to secure the win. Despite the lethargic play, the aforementioned Thorson threw for 352 yards including two scores while under-the-radar running back Justin Jackson toted the rock 30 times for 109 yards.
After escaping with the win this past Saturday, the Wildcats now travel down Tobacco Road to Durham to square off against the Duke Blue Devils. In what could be dubbed the “Brain Bowl” these two academic powerhouses have also played some decent football over the past decade.
Northwestern currently holds a 2-0 record in the past two meetings, but Duke is out for revenge. It’ll be interesting to see how the Wildcats handle the adversity of nearly losing last weekend.