Big Ten Power Rankings Week 3, featuring Johnny Cash

Welcome back to another week of Big Ten rankings, with theme music brought to us by The Man in Black. Johnny Cash has so many singles that he could probably carry an entire month of power rankings, but he gets the honor this week as a tribute to my uncle, who passed away this week and was a huge Cash fan.

This week was a mixed bag, although the conference was a few breaks away from disaster. The Big Ten only managed to go 7–5 and had three other major programs at risk of upset with Michigan, Nebraska, and Ohio State escaping late.

However, sometimes an early test is exactly what is necessary to wake these teams up for the challenges ahead.

Tipping our hat to Johnny, let's Walk The Line through another power rankings:

(RIP, Uncle Dean)

12. Minnesota: 0–2

Theme Song – Hurt

After showing a lot of heart in the second half against USC, Minnesota came home and dropped a letdown clunker of a game against New Mexico State, which had not beaten a BCS conference foe since 1999.

Make no mistake about it, the Aggies continued to expose the biggest weakness of the Gophers: the defensive backfield against the passing game.

This game was arguably the easiest on the schedule, although two more opportunities at home for wins come in the next two weeks against Miami (OH) and North Dakota State. As long as Marqueis Gray eliminates the interceptions this week, the Golden Gophers should give Jerry Kill his first win.

Speaking of Kill, reports sound promising that he will return this week after suffering a seizure late in the game against New Mexico State. We wish the best to Coach Kill in recovering from this seizure.

11. Indiana: 0–2

Theme Song – Cry! Cry! Cry!

As I wrote yesterday, Indiana may have finally turned the corner in the second half of Game 2 against Virginia, as a 20-point deficit quickly became an 8-point lead. Virginia did end up winning the game on a couple of Indiana turnovers, but the resiliency to fight back is a good sign that bumps the Hoosiers up a slot this week.

Kevin Wilson should get his first win this week against South Carolina State in Bloomington. The Hoosiers need to continue working on their running game before the Big Ten slate begins, so that passing lanes begin to open up for Edward Wright-Baker.

A winless record may lead Hoosiers fans to cry now, but brighter days look to be ahead and the schedule is manageable in the next four weeks before back-to-back roadtrips to Wisconsin and Iowa.

10. Purdue: 1–1

Theme Song – Home of the Blues

Just like Minnesota, the Boilermakers were hosting a team that had not beaten a BCS conference opponent in a decade last week in Rice. Yet the Owls and quarterback Taylor McHargue threw all over the Purdue defense to win a narrow game by two points.

Purdue needs to improve defensively to have a chance at getting bowl eligible, and the road just became a lot tougher without the expected 3–0 start.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Robert Marve should be back to split time with Caleb Terbush this weekend, which will be a welcome sight for the injury-plagued Boilermakers. Purdue has not struggled much with Terbush at the helm, so it will be interesting to see if Marve wins his job back right away.

Southeast Missouri State should provide no test going into the bye week leading to the showdown against Notre Dame on Oct. 1.

9. Penn State: 1–1

Theme Song – Busted

Well the showdown with Alabama went as expected, with another beatdown applied by the SEC to the Nittany Lions. Penn State is strong enough defensively to beat a team with quarterback struggles like Alabama, but the offense is not in the same league as a defense like the Crimson Tide.

This is bad news because Penn State will face other defenses in conference play that are close in talent and effectiveness, and it is unclear if either quarterback will develop into a confident leader before this season becomes a lost opportunity.

The Nittany Lions lost to the best opponent of last week, but they still take the biggest fall thanks to the lifeless offense continuing to make little progress.

The Nittany Lions have owned Temple in previous years, but they need to beware an upset this week, as Temple has learned how to win big under former coach Al Golden. If Penn State is to begin rolling, this is the type of game they need to dominate.

8. Iowa: 1–1

Theme Song - The Mystery of Life

It may seem unbelievable, but highly regarded head coach Kirk Ferentz has struggled mightily against Iowa State, dropping to 6–7 against the Cyclones after last week's triple-overtime loss. The Hawkeyes are probably a better team than Michigan, but the Wolverines found a way to win while Iowa found a way to lose against their rival.

The Hawkeye defense looked strong against Tennessee Tech, but Cyclones quarterback Steele Jantz tore through them with 279 passing yards and 42 rushing yards. Pittsburgh is next on the docket and will be looking to continue exploiting the young Iowa defense.

James Vandenberg continues to be a steady leader of the offense, but the real star of the show is running back Marcus Coker. The sophomore added 140 rushing yards last week and will be key to letting Iowa dominate time of possession as the games get tougher.

7. Michigan: 2–0

Theme Song – The Wind Changes

It took three quarters, but the Wolverines showed up in style in the fourth quarter of their first night game at Michigan Stadium to break Notre Dame's heart for a third straight season. The finish of last week's game shows that Denard Robinson can win a lot of shootouts, even in a pro-style offense.

The impressive part is that Robinson racked up over 400 yards of total offense, of which more than 300 yards were passing yards. The defense needed help from Notre Dame, which has booted away two games with too many turnovers to start the season.

Thankfully for Brady Hoke, the defense will now have two more weeks to come together with cupcake games against Eastern Michigan and San Diego State.

Barring a big upset, Michigan is looking at five or six straight wins to start the season. You can feel the excitement rising once again in Ann Arbor, which is a good thing for the Big Ten conference.

6. Northwestern: 2–0

Theme Song – Next In Line

Northwestern took care of business against an outclassed Eastern Illinois team in Week 2, which is better than what can be said of most conference teams. Kain Colter threw for 104 yards and led the team with 109 rushing yards as the Wildcats powered the running game to more than 300 yards.

If those types of numbers continue, Northwestern will not miss Dan Persa at all as he continues to sit out until Big Ten play.

This week will bring a unique test as Northwestern travels to West Point to play Army. Preparing for the option is always a tricky chore in one week, but Northwestern should be able to win a grinding ground battle with better athletes.

Then a bye week leads into conference play, which will give Persa two weeks to work with the offense and get his starting job back.

5. Ohio State: 2–0

Theme Song - The Man In Black

Could there be any other choice for interim head coach Luke Fickell, who has stuck to a black windbreaker despite sunny hot weather to start the season in Columbus. Thankfully for Fickell, the black jacket was not an omen as Toledo gave the Buckeyes everything they could handle in a five-point loss.

Although the defense struggled to stop Toledo's wide-open passing attack, the Buckeyes managed to get crucial stops when they needed them most, a hallmark of the past decade.

On offense, the Buckeyes desperately need running backs Jamaal Berry and Jordan Hall to return from injury and suspension, although the status of both is still in question early in the week. '

Joe Bauserman can only be expected to do so much, especially vs. aggressive defenses like Toledo and Miami this week. We will know a lot more about Ohio State on Saturday night in Coral Gables.

4. Illinois: 2–0

Theme Song – Bonanza

It was an absolute bonanza for Illinois against the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State, as the Illini put over 500 yards of offense and 56 points on the board in week 2. Although Illinois has not beaten a high-quality team yet, they have looked good in beating on the warm-up opponents leading up to this week against Arizona State.

Arizona State was able to move the ball effectively against Missouri, so expect the Sun Devils to come out throwing this week in Champaign. Illinois will try to dominate the time of possession with a power running game, and that may serve them well considering how effectively Troy Pollard and Nathan Scheelhaase are running the ball early in the season.

A win this week will cement Illinois as the second- or third- best team in the Leaders division, which is a good place to be at this point in the season.

3. Nebraska 2–0

Theme Song – Ring of Fire

Nebraska probably felt like they had fallen into a ring of fire when Fresno State pushed them to the limit at home last weekend. However, the Cornhusker defense made the plays necessary to put the game away, and Nebraska also received a boost from special teams as well.

Nebraska was able to continue running the ball well and have averaged 224 yards on the ground in the first two weeks. There should be strong motivation to win this week as Washington embarrassed the Huskers in last year's bowl game.

However, this is certainly the best team Nebraska will face before Wisconsin, and Nebraska will need to play better than last week to make it a comfortable 3–0.

2. Michigan State: 2–0

Theme Song – I Will Rock and Roll With You

Similar to Illinois, Michigan State has not played anybody of note in the first two weeks. However, they have taken care of that business well, especially in last week's shutout of Florida Atlantic. The true test will come this week for the Spartans at South Bend against a hopping-mad, winless Notre Dame team.

Michigan State needed a heroic fourth quarter to knock off the Irish last year, but Kirk Cousins should be able to keep the game close as the Irish struggle to stop opposing passing games. The key for Michigan State will be slowing down the Notre Dame offense, and perhaps forcing more turnovers from the team most prone to those this season.

If Michigan State wins this weekend, the stage is set for a huge showdown against Ohio State in two weeks. However, this will be a big hurdle for Mark Dantonio's team.

1. Wisconsin: 2–0

Theme Song – Goin' By The Book

Oregon State might be the worst team in the Pac-12 this season, but a 35-point win and a shutout are still impressive feats for the Badgers in Week 2.

A couple of tune up games await starting with this week's game vs. Northern Illinois, which will let James White and Montee Ball continue to build to mid–season form before the big conference opener against Nebraska.

Russell Wilson threw for 189 yards against the Beavers, but he has not needed to throw the ball much so far this year.

If Wisconsin faces a team that finds a way to stuff the running game and the zone blocking scheme, then the spotlight will fall on Wilson to win the game with his arm. Until then, he is more than adequate as a game manager.

Wisconsin has broken into the top 10 in the country and is bringing a bit of national attention to the conference, as perhaps a dark-horse national title contender. There's a long way to go this season, but Wisconsin continues to dominate these power rankings week in and week out.

See you later in the week with previews of the Week 3 action and next week, when another top band or artist will take us through a tale of the Big Ten conference rankings. See you then!