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Big Ten Power Rankings: Penn State makes a statement

By Alec Whitaker

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. /
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Sep 17, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Chimere Dike (13) reacts after catching a pass during the third quarter against the New Mexico State Aggies at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Chimere Dike (13) reacts after catching a pass during the third quarter against the New Mexico State Aggies at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

9-5

9. Indiana (3-0, 1-0) Last week: 10

Indiana gets a slight bump after slipping by Western Kentucky 33-30. The Hoosiers trailed 30-22 with less than a minute remaining but rallied to score and send the game to overtime. Quarterback Connor Bazelak performed well going 33-55 for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Hoosiers will need to figure some things out as they gave up 545 yards of total offense, and this Western Kentucky offense is not even close to the one they had last year. 3-0 is 3-0 but Indiana is yet to dominate a team this season, and they haven’t been playing the best teams of the schedule yet. A battle with Cincinnati is up next.

8. Rutgers (3-0, 0-0) Last week: 8

Rutgers holds firm at No. 8 thanks to a win, but the Scarlet Knights didn’t exactly look good. They beat Temple 16-14 and did not score an offensive touchdown. Rutgers only had 201 yards of total offense and probably loses if it wasn’t for a pick-6. They’ll be tested this upcoming week against that tough Iowa defense, in a game that will probably end 7-3. It’s really hard to gauge how good this Rutgers team is right now. The defense looks solid, but it doesn’t look like they’ll have the firepower on offense to keep up in the Big Ten East.

7. Michigan State (2-1, 0-0) Last week: 3

The Spartans got absolutely exposed by Washington on Saturday as former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix ripped them apart by going 24-40 for 397 yards and four touchdowns as Washington won 39-28. It looks as though Michigan State did not do as much as we thought to seal up the secondary. Payton Thorne did have a heck of a game though, going 30-42 for 323 yards and three touchdowns. The Spartans will put up points this season, but they need to be concerned about getting in shootouts with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Still a quality team, but they did get exposed.

6. Maryland (3-0, 0-0) Last week: 6

Maryland overcame an early 13-3 deficit to beat SMU 34-27 in a thriller on Saturday. The Terps have a nice balance on offense, throwing for 214 yards and running for 225. Maryland did not play perfect by any means though. They allowed SMU to throw for 369 yards and had 15 penalties for 141 yards. They got away with it against SMU, but you will lose if you have 141 penalty yards next week against Michigan. Every year Maryland dominates its out of conference schedule, and this year was no different, but now Big Ten play starts. Let’s see if they improved. If not, this will be the high watermark for them.

5. Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0) Last week: 9

Wisconsin bounced back nicely from the loss last week and beat New Mexico State 66-7. Braelon Allen had three scores on the ground while quarterback Graham Mertz was efficient going 12-15 for 251 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. In all, the Badgers threw for 335 and ran for 260, one of the best offensive days they’ve had in a while. Despite the loss last week, this is still a dangerous team, especially with that dominant defense. The Badgers do face Ohio State next week, so they could either be at the top of this list or moving back down after next weekend.

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