College Football Rankings Week 2: Which Big Ten Team Will Climb the Most?

The gap in the Big Ten is going to dissipate very quickly.

This conference is improving rapidly, thanks in part to Ohio State’s tumultuous offseason. Sooner than later, the bottom of the AP Top 25 will be filled with Big Ten teams as they continue to make immense strides to begin the season.

Let’s see how Week 2 shakes up, shall we?

Missouri is out, while Arizona State finally enters the Top 25 after an unjust two-week absence. USC could be upset by Utah, so don’t expect them to climb.

TCU? They’ll have trouble with Air Force and will fall out completely.

Georgia won’t sniff the Top 25 after another loss.

Where does this leave us? Big Ten dominance, baby!

That’s right, the Big Ten teams scratching and clawing to enter the Top 25 will finally rise after Week 2.

We’ll start with the premier game of Week 2.

Manti Te’o is a phenomenal linebacker, but the dynamic Denard Robinson will be let loose with the game on the line. Brady Hoke’s defense will put together its best performance of the season as they look to bring respectability back to the program.

Tommy Rees and Michael Floyd are an emerging QB-WR combo, but they key to this offense is Cierre Wood. He’ll fail to rush for 100 yards and the Fighting Irish will fall to the Wolverines.

The class of the Big Ten, Wisconsin, will jump ahead of Texas A&M. Bad time for the Aggies to be without a game. Their fans will question why they dropped without even playing, but the Badgers might just score eight touchdowns on the ground against Oregon State. Their powerful rushing attack will have them rumbling to No. 7 on the rankings.

Nebraska stays put at No. 10. You have to feel for Fresno State, who don’t stand a chance against the Cornhuskers. Taylor Martinez is too big of a threat for the Bulldogs’ defense. Plus, Rex Burkhead will go off today.

Alabama may be No. 3, but No. 23 Penn State is obliterated and sent into a black hole as Dont’a Hightower and his linebackers shut down Silas Redd. Redd is the only hope the Nittany Lions have in this game. Turns out they didn’t have any to begin with.

The dark horse—the team nobody is viewing as a threat to the better half of the Top 25—is the Iowa Hawkeyes.

James Vandenberg is a legit quarterback. He may be the most underrated in the nation after one week. He’s going to make everyone forget all about Ricky Stanzi and help bring the Hawkeyes into the Top 15 at some point.

Iowa plays gritty, smash-mouth football on both sides of the ball. Workhorse running back Marcus Coker is a stud. He’s a wrecking ball of destruction and will annihilate defenses. He was quiet in Week 1 as Vandenberg hooked up with Marvin McNutt for two scores.

This team has an underrated trio and bruising offensive line. They are flying under-the-radar, but will soon be on the tip of everyone’s tongue. They’ll annihilate Iowa State today, but won’t crack the Top 25 as people just start to take notice.

No. 17 Michigan State was my dark horse pick in the offseason, but the hyped died down dramatically. Kirk Cousins and Edwin Baker put together another great performance, but the Spartans won’t move up much.

Ohio State? Talk to me when they play somebody worthwhile. The Buckeyes have Toledo on the schedule today. Wow, good for them. They’ll stay put despite Joe Bauserman tossing three more touchdowns.

It all comes back to Robinson’s Wolverines.

This team was a borderline Top 25 team—they were my No. 25 team to start the season—and will prove they deserve to be inside the poll this week. They’re back under the bright primetime lights and will thrive. This time last year, Robinson was the leading Heisman candidate.

Hoke is trying to limit his carries to keep him fresh the entire season, but that philosophy will be thrown out the window tonight.

Hoke will let Robinson off the leash just two weeks into the season with a Top 25 spot on the line in primetime. Robinson re-enters the Heisman discussion after handing the Fighting Irish their second loss and moving the Wolverines into the Top 25.

Don’t try to ignore or rebel against the Wolverines’ surge. This program has been down too long and Hoke, the savior, is putting them back on the map game-by-game. They’ll make the biggest leap in the next poll.