Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Week 4

Sep 19, 2015; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate after place kicker Marshall Koehn (1) kicks the game winning 57 yard field goal over Pittsburgh Panthers at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa beat Pittsburgh 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa came into week three’s home game against Pittsburgh looking to really put itself on the map with a nice win, and it did just that. The Hawkeyes needed a 57-yard field goal as time expired to win it, and that’s what college football is all about — crazy finishes.

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C.J. Beathard looked solid again as the run game struggled, but the real stars of the game were the Iowa defensive front-seven. Holding the strong Pitt rushing attack to just 55 yards on the day is impressive.

Wisconsin had yet another ‘easy win’ lined up after a week one loss to Alabama, taking on Troy at home and winning effortlessly, 28-3.

Joel Stave might be the most improved quarterback in the conference this year as he completed 13-of-17 passes for 203 yards and a score. The defense was solid, allowing only 255 total yards to Troy as the Badgers were forced to play yet another game without star running back Corey Clement.

While Joel Stave is likely the most improved passer in the Big Ten, there’s no doubt that the Northwestern Wildcats are the most improved team in the conference. Traveling to Duke is no longer an easy task on the gridiron, but the stingy Northwestern defense provided a big win, 19-10.

Clayton Thorson may have struggled under center in the first road game of his career, but the run game, led by Justin Jackson, picked him up. Jackson finished with a game-high 120 yards.

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