Michigan making real noise
1. Penn State (4-0):The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 4, which feels about four spots too high, but taking apart Indiana would give credence to such a lofty national standing.
2. Iowa (4-0): The Hawkeyes have won three straight against East foes. Making it four in a row will require putting the brakes on a Maryland offense averaging 37.3 points a game.
3. Michigan (4-0): The Wolverines are making more noise than their coach, which is a good thing in Ann Arbor. The sound of success continues against the Badgers.
4. Ohio State (3-1): Rutgers has always been roadkill beneath the Buckeyes’ tires, but now leadership issues have surfaced regarding who is driving the OSU bus.
5. Michigan State (4-0): Sparty has another thing coming if it thinks it can simply show up and collect the dub against a Western Kentucky team that just gave Indiana all it could handle.
6. Maryland (4-0): Will the real Maryland please stand up? We’re about to find out if the Terrapins are East contenders or pretenders when they face Iowa.
7. Rutgers (3-1): Defense wins championships — and the Scarlet Knights have a good one that ranks 11th in FBS — but it won’t be enough to beat Ohio State.
8. Wisconsin (1-2): The Badgers put a twist on the saying "If you have two quarterbacks you really don’t have any." They have only one but need another.
9. Purdue (3-1): Facing the wounded and embarrassed Golden Gophers is not the best way to enjoy the weekend, especially with PU’S quarterback situation in flux.
10. Nebraska (2-3): After back-toback close losses to two ranked teams (Oklahoma and Michigan State), the Cornhuskers take out their frustration on unranked Northwestern.
11. Indiana (2-2): A trip to Penn State once felt like it would be a fight-to-thefinish game, but that was before IU began underachieving. Now the Hoosiers must fight just to finish strong.
12. Northwestern (2-2): It seems silly to suggest that winning on the road against a 2-3 team could be a turning point in a .500 season, but that’s what the Wildcats face as they head to Nebraska.
13. Minnesota (2-2): Some things are beyond explainable science, like the Mid-american Conference black hole that is Bowling Green swallowing the Golden Gophers.
14. Illinois (1-4): Illini look better than they did a few weeks ago, but must stick a fork in better-than-average Charlotte to prove looks are not deceiving.