Big Ten football power rankings: Week 1

Editor’s note: Every week, The Daily Illini football staff ranks the football teams in the Big Ten 1-14 and compiles the lists into its own Big Ten power rankings.

1. Ohio State — The Buckeyes confirmed their No.6 national ranking. J.T. Barrett scored a program-record six touchdowns en route to a 77-10 beatdown of Bowling Green.

2. Michigan — Jim Harbaugh’s squad took care of business with a 63-3 romp of Hawaii. Jabrill Peppers showed a sign of things to come all season with a TFL on the first snap of the game.

3. Wisconsin — In the most impressive Week One outing in the Big Ten, the Badgers, after being unranked heading into their season opener, left Lambeau Field with a two-point win over No. 5 LSU.

4. Iowa — CJ Beathard completed his first eight passes in the Hawkeyes’ 45-21 win over Miami of Ohio to improve to 1-0 in the regular season. The two-headed ground attack of Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels combined for 204 rushing yards.

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5. Nebraska — On a night when they remembered punter Sam Foltz with a special on-field tribute, the Cornhuskers pulled away from Fresno State for a 43-10 win. Seven different Nebraska runners combined for 292 yards on the ground.

6. Michigan State — The previously No. 12 Spartans held just a 21-13 lead late against Furman, but pulled away to avoid a major upset. The MSU offense is off to a slow start, totaling just 51 more passing yards than Furman on Friday.

7. Illinois — The Illini fired on all cylinders in Lovie Smith’s highly-awaited debut with a 52-3 rout of Murray State. The most promising sign was the immediate impact of Smith’s ball-hawking mentality — Illinois capped off its first two defensive possessions with interceptions.

8. Penn State — Penn State got a good start from second-year quarterback Trace McSorley in a win on Saturday, and managed a 33-13 victory over Kent State.

9. Minnesota — The Gophers sealed a convincing 30-23 win over Oregon State with a defensive stand on the final drive of the game. Mitch Leidner finished with 130 yards through the air, but sophomore tailback Rodney Smith led the way with 125 yards on the ground.

10. Indiana — The usually defensively impaired Hoosiers reeled in three interceptions — two for touchdowns — in their 34-13 victory over FIU. Devine Redding ran for 135 yards.

11. Maryland — Maryland’s new-look offense amassed over 500 total yards in its 52-13 drubbing of Howard. Six different Terrapin rushers accumulated at least 40 yards on the ground.

12. Northwestern — Pat Fitzgerald’s team up north stumbled out of the gates with a 22-21 loss to Western Michigan, which is one of the top teams in the MAC and Illinois’ Week Three opponent.

13. Purdue — Darrel Hazell’s squad quickly dispatched Eastern Kentucky with a 45-24 win. The Boilermakers don’t play FCS teams every week, though, so the wins will be harder to come by in later weeks.

14. Rutgers — Chris Ash faced a tough test against No. 14 Washington in his coaching debut, and it showed with a 48-13 loss. No Rutgers runner eclipsed 70 yards, while no receiver totaled more than 60 yards.

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