College Football Rankings 2011 Week 1: Big Ten Conference

Ranking (Last Week)

 No. 1 (1) Wisconsin Badgers

Week 1 Result: Win—51-17 over UNLV.

Wisconsin had the best performance out of all of the Big Ten Conference teams who were in action last weekend. The Badgers raced out to a 37-3 halftime lead and led by as many as 48 points last Thursday against UNLV. 

North Carolina State transfer quarterback Russell Wilson lived up to the hype in his first game as a Badger by completing 10 of his 13 pass attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for another 63 yards and a score. The running back tandem of James White and Monte Ball combined for 127 yards on the ground. 

No. 2 (3) Ohio State Buckeyes

Week 1 Result: Win—42-0 over Akron.

Ohio State proved they still have plenty of offensive power despite being without their top receiver, Devier Posey, and starting running back, Dan Herron. 

Fifth-year senior quarterback Joe Bauserman validated interim coach Luke Fickell's decision to make him the starter and went 12-for-16 through the air along with 195 total yards and four touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Braxton Miller also played well when given the opportunity and contributed 130 passing yards and a touchdown. 

The Buckeyes defense was stout as well and only allowed five Akron first downs and 90 total yards. 

No. 3 (2) Nebraska Cornhuskers

Week 1 Result: Win—40-7 over Chattanooga.

Nebraska's sophomore dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez put on a show through the air and on the ground against Chattanooga. Martinez threw for 116 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Cornhuskers defense was equally impressive and held Chattanooga to just 60 rushing yards and seven points. 

No. 4 (5) Michigan State Spartans

Week 1 Result: Win—28-6 over Youngstown State.

Michigan State's performance against a Football Championship Subdivision team that went 3-8 a year ago was far from impressive, but by default the Spartans move up in the rankings. 

Edwin Baker and the rest of the Spartan running backs struggled to get going early and Youngstown State blew multiple chances to take an early lead. Quarterback Kirk Cousins kept the offense moving though, and finished the game with 222 passing yards and a touchdown. 

The Spartans defense allowed Youngstown State to move right up the field in the first half, but managed to get key stops when the Penguins were near the red zone. 

No. 5 (4) Northwestern Wildcats

Week 1 Result: Win—24-17 over Boston College.

Dan Persa was held out of Northwestern's season opener, which is why the Wildcats have slipped in the rankings, but his replacement, Kain Colter, played well and led the team to a win.

Colter's only touchdown came on the ground, but he threw for 197 yards and another 71 yards toting the rock. Sophomore running back Mike Trumpy also ran for 85 yards and a score. 

The best sign of the weekend for Northwestern was the improvement of their defense, which held Boston College to just 17 points and 104 rushing yards. 

No. 6 (6) Michigan Wolverines

Week 1 Result: Win—34-10 over Western Michigan.

The Wolverines only had to play roughly three quarters of football due to weather in order to secure new head coach Brady Hoke's first victory. 

Michigan's offense was much more efficient and methodical (as opposed to the quick strikes they had last season) and quarterback Denard Robinson had just 144 yards, but that was all the Wolverines needed because of a solid performance by their defense. 

Linebacker Brandon Herron became the first player in Michigan history to score two defensive touchdowns in the same game with a 94-yard interception return and a 28-yard fumble return. Michigan's defense was also credited with another turnover after they recovered a bad snap and held the Broncos to just 92 yards on the ground.  

No. 7 (8) Penn State Nittany Lions

Week 1 Result: Win—41-7 over Indiana State.

Penn State running back Silas Redd put on a show against Indiana State last Saturday and rushed for 104 yards on a mere 12 carries.

The Nittany Lions defense forced three turnovers and did not surrender a point until the Sycamores punched in a touchdown with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. 

Penn State's performance was enough to move them up a spot in the rankings, but quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden have yet to impress and may hold the Nittany Lions back this season. 

No. 8 (7) Iowa Hawkeyes

Week 1 Result: Win—34-7 over Tennessee Tech.

Iowa got off to a slow start, but erupted offensively in the second quarter and led 34-0 by the end of the third quarter. 

Hawkeyes quarterback James Vandenberg threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since 2009, but the running game was far from impressive and starting tailback Marcus Coker had a mere 41 yards on 11 carries. 

No. 9 (9) Illinois Fighting Illini

Week 1 Result: Win—33-15 over Arkansas State.

The Fighting Illini had some troubles early against Arkansas State and even fell behind, 8-7, near the end of the second quarter, but Illinois eventually rolled to victory behind a strong performance from their quarterback, Nathan Scheelhaase. 

Illinois gave up 290 yards through the air, but held Arkansas State to 60 yards on the ground and caused three turnovers. 

No. 10 (10) Purdue Boilermakers

Week 1 Result: Win—27-24 over Middle Tennessee.

It took a 10-point rally in the final six minutes of the game for Purdue to get past Middle Tennessee, but a win is a win. Junior quarterback Caleb TerBush struggled early, but found his rhythm late in the game and threw the winning touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining.

Another encouraging sign for the Boilermakers was the strong performance by running back Ralph Bolden, who missed the entire 2010 season due to injury. Bolden rushed for 120 yards on 17 carries. 

No. 11 (11) Minnesota Golden Gophers

Week 1 Result: Loss—17-19 to Southern California 

Had Purdue not thrown a late touchdown pass against Middle Tennessee, the Golden Gophers would have moved up in the rankings after giving No. 25 Southern California a much more difficult game than expected. 

Minnesota's starting quarterback, Marqueis Gray, had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with cramps and Max Shortell played well in his absence, which puts coach Jerry Kill in an interesting position as to who will be the starter this weekend.  

No. 12 (12) Indiana Hoosiers

Week 1 Result: Loss—20-27 to Indiana Hoosiers.

Indiana's quarterback battle was resolved after Edwin Wright-Baker played well in the Hoosiers loss on Saturday, but star wide receiver Demarlo Blecher was held to four catches and the ground game never got going. 

The Hooisers defense also gave up 210 rushing yards, which is not a good sign for the upcoming Big Ten Conference slate.

Zach Dirlam is a Big Ten Columnist for the new website Sports at Work. Check out his blog, Dirlam’s Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story along with other articles and video reports on the major sports. You can also follow his blog on Twitter, which will provide you with the latest updates about what will be posted on the blog!