College Football Rankings: 5 Most Disappointing Big Ten Teams of Week 1

Big Ten football is finally back, and many teams lived up to expectations in Week 1.  However, there are those few teams who looked extremely disappointing, as they struggled with a much lesser opponent.

Here's a look at the five most disappointing Big Ten teams of Week 1, and what to expect from them the rest of the season.

5. Nebraska (Chattanooga)

Yes, Nebraska won 40-7, and maybe it's not fair to put them on this list, but there were some things to be concerned about if you're a Cornhusker fan.

The first thing that jumps out at you are the passing numbers.  Nebraska only passed for 135 yards.  Obviously, throwing the ball isn't a big part of Nebraska's game, but still, only 135 yards?

What's even more concerning is that Taylor Martinez only completed 50 percent of his passes.

You can't help but notice that the offense was eerily similar to the same Nebraska offense that stumbled down the stretch last year.  Obviously, they weren't going to rack up a ton of offensive yards Saturday, but you certainly expected them to finish with more than 364.

Nebraska fans shouldn't be too concerned, but the Huskers will struggle at times this year.  The offense will likely cost them at least two or three games this season.

4. Illinois (Arkansas State)

Illinois fans had to be a little concerned going into the second half of this game, seeing as how Illinois was only leading by nine, 17-8.

There were a lot of positives in this game for Illinois, mainly on the offensive side of the ball.  Nate Scheelhaase's passing numbers were extremely impressive, as he threw for almost 300 yards and completed 16 of 24 passes.

It also had to be nice to see two receivers go over 100 yards, as both A.J. Jenkins and Darius Millines achieved the feat.

However, the running game surprisingly struggled somewhat.  Jason Ford only averaged 3.9 yards per carry, while Scheelhaase averaged an amazingly low 2.0 yards per carry.

Even though there were some good signs from the offense, the defense was disappointing.  They allowed 350 yards of offense, including 290 through the air.  The secondary was supposed to be a strength, but instead did not look good at all.

We'll learn a lot more about Illinois with the Arizona State game approaching, but expect the Illini to have a solid season, winning six or seven games.

3. Purdue (Middle Tennessee State)

Purdue received some bad news recently, when it was announced that Rob Henry would be lost for the year due to injury.  However, it wasn't the offense that was the problem for Purdue on Saturday; it was the defense.

The offense actually put up 420 yards, including over 200 both through the air and on the ground.  However, the defense gave up 460 yards, including 330 through the air.

Purdue isn't going to win many games this year if the defense plays that poorly.  Middle Tennessee was certainly expected to compete with Purdue, but the game wasn't supposed to come down to the fourth quarter.

In fact, Purdue needed a late touchdown and a blocked field goal to preserve the win.

Purdue will probably do as expected this season, which means four or five wins and no bowl game.

2. Indiana (vs. Ball State)

We knew it was going to be a rough year for Indiana, but most were not expecting a loss to Ball State.  The Hoosiers didn't necessarily play great on offense or defense.  Running the ball looks like it's going to be a problem this year as expected, as Indiana only ran for 103 yards.

The run defense looked bad as well, as they allowed over 210 rushing yards.

One of the few bright spots was Damarlo Belcher, which isn't a surprise, as he went over 100 yards receiving.

Even though hiring Kevin Wilson was an absolutely great move by Indiana, it won't pay off for another year or two.  Honestly, Wilson could turn this program into a yearly six or seven win team, which is unheard of at Indiana.

However, for 2011, expect the Hoosiers to win no more than three or four games.

1. Michigan State (Youngstown State)

Some "analysts" around the country were calling this Michigan State team a Big Ten title contender, and then they come out and play like this?  This looked nothing like a Big Ten title contender.

Heck, this looked like a team that may struggle to make a bowl game.

The fact that this was a 14-6 game at halftime is inexcusable for MSU.  It's hard to tell which was more embarrassing, the offense or defense.

Youngstown State had 20 first downs in this game, only two less than MSU.  State also doubled the amount of penalties that Youngstown had for the game, as they committed eight.

What is supposed to be the strength of this team, the running game, only managed to rush for 159 yards.  They also finished with 396 yards of offense, which isn't terrible, but is certainly less than expected.

One of the few bright spots was B.J. Cunningham, who had 130 receiving yards, but it has to be concerning that no other wide receiver had more than 28.

This looked nothing like a Big Ten contender; instead it looked like a team that wasn't ready to play.  Expect State to win seven or eight games this year.