Big Ten power poll

1. Michigan State (1-1): The Spartans had a bye week to lick their wounds from Oregon. Up next: Eastern Michigan.

2. Wisconsin (1-1): Melvin Gordon champing at the bit after Western Illinois held him to 38 yards on 17 carries.

3. Ohio State (2-1): Kent State is awful, but J.T. Barrett's six TD passes offered a much-needed confidence boost.

4. Nebraska (3-0): Ameer Abdullah ranks eighth in the nation with 178.3 all-purpose yards per game.

5. Penn State (3-0): Nittany Lions' win at Rutgers wasn't pretty, but Christian Hackenberg was Mr. Clutch again.

6. Iowa (2-1): Strong RB depth and a good line, yet no single rusher has topped 50 yards in a game.

7. Rutgers (2-1): Gary Nova's interception problems resurfaced, derailing Big Ten opener vs. Penn State.

9. Michigan (2-1): Defense held Notre Dame to 1.7 yards per rush and Miami (Ohio) to 2.0 yards per rush.

10. Gophers (2-1): As poorly as they played last week, teams below them on this list have played worse.

11. Indiana (1-1): Tevin Coleman leads the nation with 218.5 rushing yards per game. Great player. Bad team.

12. Illinois (2-1): Team ranks last in the Big Ten in rushing defense, yielding 183.7 yards per game.

13. Purdue (1-2): Danny Etling raised confidence, going 12-for-14 passes for two TDs in first half vs. Notre Dame.