Northwestern – After falling in their first two contests of the season to California and Northern Illinois, the Wildcats have returned to the .500 mark with wins in the last two weeks. This past weekend, Northwestern went on the road to Happy Valley and stunned then-undefeated Penn State 29-6 in a game few people expected the Wildcats to pull off. After finishing last year with losses in seven of its last eight games, Northwestern has a favorable schedule this season in hopes of contending in the new Big Ten West Division. Its toughest test of the season comes this Saturday against Wisconsin, and after that it has a relatively non-threatening schedule, other than a road test at Iowa and a home game against Michigan. Speaking of non-threatening, the Wildcats’ offense hasn’t been anything special this season, scoring just 23 points a game, with a rushing attack that averages only 112.2 yards per game. Northwestern has given up more yards on average to opponents but does have a plus-two turnover differential.
Star player: Senior QB Trevor Siemian – Siemian has produced the best of the mediocre offensive numbers so far, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for an average of 218 yards a game with two touchdowns.
Illinois – The Illini have started the season with a 3-2 record, but don’t expect that record to stay above the .500-mark for long. In their only two games against above average competition, Illinois has given up 89 points in losses to Washington and Nebraska this past Saturday. After getting hammered 45-14 in Lincoln, the Illini’s schedule doesn’t lighten up in the near future with road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State over the course of the next four weeks. The passing game has carried much of the load through the first five games of the season, averaging just over 309 yards a game while the rushing attack has had a tough time averaging 102.2 yards per game.
Star player: Sophomore QB West Lunt – Lunt transferred from Oklahoma State, and after sitting out last year, he has had an immediate effect on the Illini this season. His biggest game came against Western Kentucky when he threw for 456 yards. He has also tossed at least 250 yards in each game this year. Lunt has completed just over 65 percent of his passes and has 11 touchdowns in five games for Illinois.
Maryland – Although the Terrapins have a strong 4-1 start to the season and should make a bowl game this year, they have yet to face a quality opponent. Their closest matchup thus far was a three-point home loss to West Virginia, with the next closest game a seven-point win on the road at South Florida. The first big test will come this weekend when Maryland hosts No. 20 Ohio State for its Big Ten home opener. The Terrapins have multiple backs in the rushing attack with three players who average over 35 yards per game, but neither running back averages over 50. Quarterback CJ Brown actually averages more than both of the running backs with just over 50 yards per game.
Star player: Redshirt senior QB CJ Brown – Brown is the premier player in the Maryland offense as the leading passer and rusher. He has passed for just under 1,000 yards this season with a per game average of slightly less than 200 yards, while rushing for an average of 53.2 yards.
Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights’ win at Washington State in their first game of the season looks pretty good considering second-ranked Oregon barely escaped with a win over the Cougars. With a similar 4-1 opening mark to Maryland, the other Big Ten newcomer is going to have to run the gauntlet to reach the Big Ten title game. Rutgers drew Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraksa, Wisconsin and Michigan State, and the Knights have their work cut out for them. For Rutgers to have success, it will have to rely on a balanced attack offensively. The Scarlet Knights average just over 170 yards rushing and 240 yards passing each game with a defense that is 41st in the nation in points allowed.
Star player: Senior QB Gary Nova – Despite throwing seven interceptions already this season, quarterback Gary Nova has accounted for over twice as many touchdowns as any other player with 13. Ten of Nova’s touchdowns have come through the air, while averaging almost 240 yards passing per game, and he has also rushed for three more.
Purdue – The Boilermakers dropped their first Big Ten game of the season last weekend to Iowa, and own a 2-3 overall record to start the season. Purdue’s two wins this season (one more than they had last year) have come against Western Michigan and Southern Illinois while their losses came to Notre Dame and the Hawkeyes. Purdue currently ranks 12th in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 27.8 points per game, and are last in total offense with 312 yards per game. The Boilermakers currently have three rushers who average over 45 yards on the ground in Raheem Mostert (58.6), Akeem Hunt (53.8) and Keyante Green (45.5).
Star Player: Sophomore QB Danny Etling – A 4-star quarterback out of high school, Etling has thrown for 800 yards and six touchdowns with a 54.9 completion percentage through five games this season in his sophomore campaign.
Nebraska – Nebraska enters the sixth week of the season as the only undefeated team in the Big Ten with a perfect 5-0 record, including a win over Illinois last week, and are arguably the favorites in the Big Ten West. The Cornhuskers are first in the Big Ten in total offense (527.6 yards) and second in scoring offense (45.4). The Nebraska rushing attack is also the best in the Big Ten thanks to senior Ameer Abdullah, as they average 354.8 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has had a fast start to the season, throwing for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions with a 154.2 passer rating.
Star Player: Senior RB Ameer Abdullah – Abdullah is one of college football’s top talents and also the nation’s leading rusher with 833 yards on only 114 attempts (7.3 yards per carry). He has found the end zone eight times and is a leading candidate for the Heisman trophy.
Iowa – Thought to be a dark horse in the Big Ten this season, the Hawkeyes picked up their first conference win of the Big Ten season against Purdue last weekend and are 4-1 overall with their lone loss coming to in-state rival, Iowa State. Iowa is second to last in scoring offense (22.6) but have given up only 17.2 points per game. Their run defense could pose a threat to the Badgers as they rank fourth in the Big Ten allowing only 93.2 rushing yards per game. The Hawkeyes have a tough finish to their Big Ten slate as they take on Wisconsin before closing out conference play against Nebraska as they hope to contend in the Big Ten West.
Star Player: Junior QB Jake Rudock – While Iowa plans on playing two quarterbacks this Saturday, Rudock has had a strong start to the season. Despite sitting out last weekend’s game with a leg injury, Rudock has thrown for 798 yards and five touchdowns with a 66.9 completion percentage in the four games he has played.
Minnesota – Minnesota had one of their biggest wins in program history when they beat Michigan 30-14 last weekend to improve their record to 4-1. The Golden Gophers follow a typical Big Ten formula as they pound the ball on the ground while relying on a stout defense. Minnesota averages 230.2 yards per game on the ground while giving up only 19 points per game. The Gophers have struggled through the air with quarterback Mitch Leidner averaging just over 100 passing yards per game (105.8) while their best receiver, redshirt sophomore Maxx Williams, has only 161 receiving yards on the season. The Badgers and Gophers will finish their Big Ten conference slate and battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe at Camp Randall on Nov. 29.
Star Player: Senior RB David Cobb – Cobb already has 722 rushing yards this season with four touchdowns as a senior. Last season, as a junior, Cobb ran for 1,202 yards and seven touchdowns for Minnesota.
