A fellow football junkie and I compare our weekly power rankings. We missed last week – busy lives, etc. sorry! These are real emails back and forth.
J – We’re back! We missed last week but that turned out to be a blessing because I’m sure one of us would have had Iowa in the top 5. Let’s get cracking:
Josh Kam
1. Ohio State 1. Ohio State
2. Nebraska 2. Michigan State
3. Wisconsin 3. Nebraska
4. Michigan State 4. Wisconsin
J – Bucks goes without saying and I had Nebraska second two weeks ago and I know I am violating a head-to-head game (MSU) but I went this way for a reason…peaking time. Nebraska was peaking before the bye week which then happened at the perfect time for them to get Abdullah healthy. This then led to a battle for third between Sparty and Bucky. You know me and my love affair with defense and what the Badger defense has done the last 3 weeks is amazing. 7 points to Maryland, 0 to Rutgers and 16 to Purdue. that is 7.67 ppg during this hot streak. wow. Speaking of wow, these standings make it look like the west is better than the east now. Worlds are colliding!!!
K – Well I agree on OSU being number one. It’s clear that when you have a QB that is dual threat, you can move the ball on MSU.
J – So Iowa would do well then against them.
K – I’m just going to ignore all your cheap shots. I have MSU at number 2 because I think the heads up still gives them the nod. Nebraska and Wisconsin sit 3 and 4 now but the winner will have a great shot at leaping Sparty this time next week.
J – That’s the nice thing about UW-Neb. No waiting around for it to be settled. As well as UW’s defense has played, Huskers can move the ball on everyone. I think this might get settled by if the UW quarterback rotation can keep up it’s impressive streak. Lost in the shuffle of the trifecta of domination was they weren’t playing defenses with the athletic ability of the Huskers. If the UW rotation keeps working, Badger nation has to feel good about the win since that is the biggest X factor. Ameer/Gordon will get theirs and Tommy Armstrong Jr is pretty reliable. It’ll be on the legs of Tanner McEvoy and the arm of Joel Stave keeping this commune-approach to quarterbacking going.
K – You said the same thing like 8 times in that paragraph. I don’t have time to read your ramblings! As for that huge tilt next week, I don’t know which way to lean. It’s going be just as exciting as the OSU-MSU game and as an outsider with no allegiance to either, that is really all I can hope for.
J – Huge factor that it is in Madison and with a 3:30 start the students should be packed in but no blotto to the point of passing out before the Jump Around.
5. Minnesota 5. Minnesota
K – Got the Gophers fifth…clearly DEY GOT RIGHT after looking shaky the last couple weeks. Cobb is another great Big Ten back. Cobb along with Gordon, Langford, Abdulluh, some of the best backs in the nation play in the Big Ten.
J – Weisman.
K – Still ignoring.
6. Maryland 6. Maryland
K – Maryland is the second best of the mediocre of the Big Ten…congratulations!
7. Penn State 7. Penn State
8. Michigan 8. Iowa
9. Rutgers 9. Michigan
10. Iowa 10. Rutgers
J – I think Hoke is either saving his job at the gambler’s expense or Fitzy is a compulsive gambler. The spread was 1.5! I bet Fitzy had a cool million on the game and that’s why he went for two.
K – Is this our middle of the pack? PSU, IOWA, MICH? the hell? Proud programs that look like shit against well….shittier programs. Just look at the middle of the pack and hang your head.
J – My 9th place team is Rutgers! Way to have Iowa so high. Defend your boy.
K – Iowa looked like a dung pile this week, Rutgers has been doing that for what, 3? 4 weeks now? No way Rutgers gets placed higher than Iowa. I cant defend Iowa, but I can make Rutgers sound way worse.
J – To recap, your defense is to go after sweet little Rutgers? At least RU gave up half a hundred to OSU and not their arch rival. In all seriousness, I thought Iowa was playing some inspired ball after Northwestern. I didn’t think we had figured it all out but Wadley gave us a pop and Ruddock seemed to finally get the widouts more involved. Lastly the OL, while not living up to the hype, was improved against NU after getting embarrassed at Maryland. I thought the talent was pretty equal with Minne but if Iowa was hungry, they could rise to the occasion. I really thought Iowa would in – I’m not alone. Then POW! This is why I am an advocate of canning Kirk. He never changes his game plan (Minne ran the same sweep about 200 times and we stopped it…once?) and his team’s in recent seasons never maintain any fire. They’ll be jacked up for Illinois, but then what? Fall flat again. It is infuriating.
11. Purdue 11. Purdue
12. Northwestern 12. Northwestern
13. Illinois 13. Illinois
14. Indiana 14. Indiana
J – Fitz’s seat warmer than we thought? I’ve read some stories about Mildcat nation not enjoying what they are seeing for 2 straight years now.
K – We knew the question marks were there on defense, then the Venric Mark exit I think really hurt and set them on a course for a rough year. I think being an NU grad, winning a bowl and getting to some others gives him a long leash. I believe his contract goes through 2021. I bet they give him ample time to figure it out.
J – So Purdue and their qb situation…Appleby has 5 games under him and Etling has 5 games under him (they split the CMU game but Etling had more attempts so giving that to him and ignoring Appleby’s numbers for it):
- Appleby has averaged 18/33 with 7 tds and 5 picks and averaging 197 yards a game
- Etling went 17.8/32.4, 6 td to 5 int and 147.8 yards per
Here’s the kicker. Etling went against Western Mich, Central Mich, Notre Dame, SIU and Iowa. Appleby not only has better numbers but faced Illinois, MSU, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin…Appleby also has 3 road games to just 1 for Etling. So with the qb situation finally settled – which is a huge thing for building programs – does Appleby do enough in his junior and senior seasons for 2015 / 2016 to get this club over the hump? Of all the teams we have 11-14, Purdue looks LIGHTYEARS ahead of the others thanks to Austin Appleby’s emergence, or does Indiana get back on-track next year with Coleman/Sudfeld returning as seniors? State of Indiana football could be very interesting next season. I’m smelling breakthrough from one of them…but which!?
K – I think they are just ready for basketball season.
J – Neither looks to be that good on the hardwood actually. I think they are looking forward to 2015 football. Well Indiana is actually exciting about who gets fired first pool…Wilson or Crean. The action is hot and heavy in Gloomington.
K – Enthralling analysis of the athletic state of affairs in Indiana. Gotta shine the spotlight once a season. Only fair.
J – Next week we’ll be breaking down Kyle Flood’s hair loss this season. Followed by the ever popular Bobbing with Beckman where he boobs for various fruits in a tank. I’ve never seen that many Kiwis in a man’s mouth before.
Big Ten and Counting 