No. 7 Ohio State (3-0)
The Buckeyes rode the leg of kicker Mike Nugent in victories over Marshall and North Carolina State. First-year quarterback Justin Zwick looks to be settling into his position, but Ohio State’s running game still has not emerged as a consistent force. In his first game as Ohio State’s main quarterback, Zwick passed for 213 yards in a win over Cincinnati.
No. 15 Purdue (2-0)
The Boilermakers were impressive in their first two games against Syracuse and Ball State, outscoring opponents 110-7. Kyle Orton is the conference’s most experienced quarterback and may be a dark horse for the Heisman.
No. 19 Minnesota (3-0)
Running backs Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney each have had fantastic starts, and the likelihood of the Golden Gophers capturing the Big Ten championship grows every week. Minnesota has defeated Toledo, Illinois State and Colorado State.
No. 18 Michigan (2-1)
The Wolverines’ offense has struggled to run and pass because of inexperience at quarterback and running back. True-freshman quarterback Chad Henne has not looked sharp in any of his starts, but Michigan may have found a steady back in true-freshman Mike Hart. The Wolverines lost to Notre Dame but have defeated Miami (Ohio) and San Diego State.
No. 20 Wisconsin (3-0)
Without injured running back Anthony Davis, the Badgers’ offense has only cracked 20 points once this season, but the Wisconsin defense has allowed only 16 points this season. The Badgers have beaten Central Florida, UNLV and Arizona.
Iowa (2-1)
In their first real test of the season, the Hawkeyes folded at Arizona State. The Iowa secondary struggled, and the offense scored its only points in garbage time. It may be time to panic in Iowa City, although the Hawkeyes still have wins over Kent State and Iowa State.
Indiana (2-1)
A week after beating Central Michigan, the Hoosiers picked up a huge road win at Oregon on Sept. 11, but faltered Saturday against a weaker Kentucky team. Indiana was seeking its first 3-0 start since 1994.
Penn State (2-1)
Senior quarterback Zack Mills has played like an inexperienced underclassman in the Nittany Lions first three games — victories over Central Florida and Akron and a loss to Boston College. Mills had six turnovers Saturday but was helped with another strong performance from running back Tony Hunt.
Illinois (2-1)
After looking overmatched against UCLA two weeks ago, Illinois barely scraped out a win over Western Michigan on Saturday. With starting quarterback Jon Beutjer injured again and Purdue on the horizon, things won’t get easier for the Illini soon. Illinois won’t see another opponent like Division I-AA Florida A&M, which it defeated 52-12 in its season opener.
Michigan State (1-2)
Problems at quarterback have led to losses to Rutgers and Notre Dame and a quarterback-by-committee in East Lansing. Three different signal callers have taken snaps, and none has had much success. The Spartans lone win came Sept. 11 against Central Michigan.
Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].
