Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Week 3

Sep 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) attempts to throw a pass during the third quarter against the Temple Owl at Lincoln Financial Field. Temple defeated Penn State 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

No. 11 Indiana – No. 9 Illinois

Indiana went into halftime with a 14-13 deficit to FIU and it was looking like the Hoosiers were about to be embarrassed on their home field. However, they came out strong in the second half and outscored the Golden Panthers 23-8 for a week two victory.

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Nate Sudfeld is still trying to get his confidence back after missing all of 2014, throwing for just 234 yards with a touchdown and an interception. However, Jordan Howard, a UAB transfer, is looking like the next Tevin Coleman, finishing with 159 yards on just 27 carries.

Penn State had to make sure that its week one loss to Temple on a neutral field was just a joke by taking out its anger on Buffalo. That didn’t exactly happen as the Nittany Lions won by just 13 points and the offense looks as lethargic as ever.

Christian Hackenberg is looking more like a middle-tier quarterback than the once-dubbed top QB in the conference. He completed a fraction over 50 percent of his passes for just 128 yards and a touchdown while his favorite target, DaeSean Hamilton, had only three catches for 15 yards and a score.

How has Illinois responded to seeing their head coach fired a week before the season began? How about a 2-0 start and a recent week two blowout of Western Illinois, 44-0.

The Fighting Illini were once thought to be the joke of the conference, but they have seemed to find new life since Tim Beckman’s exit from the program and quarterback Wes Lunt has proved to be the real deal. Lunt finished the day with 316 passing yards and a touchdown, hitting Geronimo Allison eight times for 124 yards.

Next: No. 8 Michigan - No. 6 Nebraska