Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 4: Michigan’s offense sputters again
By David Rouben
Maryland Terrapins (2-0)
Last week: BYE
Last rank: 5th
Although Maryland was off, they should come out of their bye week with a lot of confidence. If anything, seeing Texas push USC to the brink should make them feel even better about their Week 1 win than they already did. They’ll get another easy win against UCF before their showdown against Minnesota. Considering they play in the East division, they need to collect all of these easy wins to ensure they head back to a bowl game.
Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0)
Last week: W vs. North Texas, 31-14
Last rank: 6th
While Nathan Stanley looked very impressive in Iowa’s win over Iowa State, a lot of people questioned the Hawkeyes’ defensive effort. It was a far cry from how they played against Wyoming, but it’s uncharacteristic of them to have two consecutive bad games on defense.
Although North Texas gave Hawkeyes fans a scare in the first half, they roared back and pitched a shutout in the second to wrap up non-conference play with a 3-0 record. All of North Texas’ second half drives ended in either a punt or an interception, while Iowa came back to score when they had the ball.
Even though Akrum Wadley left the game in the second half, and was benched for parts of the first, Ivory Kelly-Martin and Toren Young stepped up when they were called upon. They were crucial in ensuring the Hawkeyes maintained possession throughout the second half, while Stanley still came up big with 197 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Looking forward, Iowa’s opening matchup with Penn State will be a massive game to look forward to. While the Hawkeyes have the defensive personnel to give Penn State fits, they’ll need Wadley healthy if they want to have any chance at pulling off the upset.