Fansided

Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 5: Saquon Barkley for President of the World

By David Rouben

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes up field during the third quarter past defensive lineman Cedrick Lattimore #95 of the Iowa Hawkeyes on September 23, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes up field during the third quarter past defensive lineman Cedrick Lattimore #95 of the Iowa Hawkeyes on September 23, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 23: Spartans running back Madre London (28) slips on the turf inside the 10 yard line during a non-conference football game between Michigan State and Notre Dame on September 23, 2017, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 23: Spartans running back Madre London (28) slips on the turf inside the 10 yard line during a non-conference football game between Michigan State and Notre Dame on September 23, 2017, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
12

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-2, 1-0)

Last week: W vs. Rutgers, 27-17
Last rank: 12th

Even though Nebraska got their Big Ten schedule off to a winning start, there’s been no shortage of turmoil around the program. After losing to Northern Illinois, athletic director Sean Eichorst was relieved of his duties, a move which was long overdue. Nebraska fans have hated Eichorst since he fired Bo Pelini and replaced him with Mike Riley, which is something even Tommy Armstrong Jr. spoke out against. But now that he’s gone, Riley’s job security just got a lot worse.

Somehow, Nebraska was able to tune out the distractions and get a home win over Rutgers. It wasn’t as comfortable as expected, and Tanner Lee still has turnover issues to sort through. But they showed some good poise in overcoming adversity and coming back from a third-quarter deficit.

This win does nothing to ease concerns after a disappointing 1-2 start, nor does it take Riley off the hot seat. Then again, replacing him with Bert Bielema may be a step backward rather than forward.

11

Michigan State Spartans (2-1)

Last week: L vs. Notre Dame, 38-18
Last rank: 8th

While Michigan State has gotten off to a good start, they haven’t looked impressive. They had an extra week to prepare for Notre Dame, but fell short against a more explosive offense. And while the Spartans came into this game without allowing a rushing TD, Notre Dame scored three times on the ground.

The Spartans actually hung in there for much of the first half, but the turning point came when LJ Scott fumbled what would’ve been a touchdown to cut the game to 21-14. Instead, the Irish recovered the ball and marched down the field to make it 28-7. But even without that fumble, their biggest playmaker had a very pedestrian game as he only accumulated 61 yards on 11 carries.

If last year’s Michigan State-Notre Dame game is a sign of anything, it’s that winning it does you no good. But losing this game doesn’t help either.

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