Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten Skill Position Rankings and Key Matchups for Week Three

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Apr 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Scarlet Team running back Mike Weber (20) during the Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

How Big Ten skill position players have performed through week two.

As the competition heats up heading into week three and Big Ten Conference play almost upon us, I’ll provide a weekly ranking of the Big Ten’s quarterbacks and running backs as well as previewing the best games featuring the conference’s best players.

Quarterbacks:

So far so good for most of the Big Ten’s quarterbacks, at least for the top half of the conference.  Few have been tested.  Here’s how I rank each through the first two weeks:

Stud of the Week:

Tommy Armstrong, Jr. passed for 485 yards with 4 touchdowns and one interception while leading Nebraska to a 52-17 win over Wyoming.

Open the Competition Again:

The good news is David Blough passed for 401 yards. The bad news is he threw five interceptions in the Purdue’s 38-20 loss to Cincinnati.  Head coach Darrell Hazzel should consider alternatives if he wants to remain in West Lafayette.

Rodney Dangerfield Award:

Maryland is an afterthought in the Big Ten East race, but Perry Hills’ should be getting opposing coaches’ attention.  Against Florida International last week, Hills passed for 210 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 52 yards.  Granted the stats are against weak opponents so it might be over the top by reading too much into his body of work, but Hills’ has the Terps’ moving in the right direction.

Running Backs:

The Big Ten is a much more dynamic conference on the offensive side of the ball now, but the conference is still dominated by workhorse running backs.  The only difference is most teams have two backs now instead of one.  Here’s how they rank through week two:

Stud of the Week:

The jury’s out if Koby McCrary will become Minnesota’s next great running back, but he definitely earned his keep last week rushing for 176 yards with two touchdowns.  Of course it was against a hapless Indiana State team, but he delivered when it mattered.

Open the Competition Again:

Justin Jackson was a key reason why Northwestern won 10 games last season.  Is it a surprise that his lack of production is coupled with the Wildcats’ 0-2 start?

In a 9-7 loss to Illinois State last Saturday, Jackson finished with 39 yards on 11 carries.

With the Big Ten West looking more competitive, Northwestern’s season hinges on Jackson being an offensive threat, not a liability.

Rodney Dangerfield Award:

Quick – name Indiana’s starting running back.  Exactly.  Devine Redding gained 1000 yards as a backup in 2015.  He’s already on pace to hit around 1500-yards this season if his carries and yards-per-carry remain the same.  Keep an eye out as he will shock a lot of teams in the Big Ten.

Big Ten Team of the Week:

Tough call.  The slate was rather weak.  Illinois and Penn State were the only teams that played opponents with a pulse and they both lost.

This week’s award goes to Iowa.  Even though Iowa State is really bad, the Cyclones are still an in-state rival.  The Hawkeyes started fast and never let up in winning 42-3 and capturing the Cy-Hawk Trophy for the second-straight year.

Look Ahead Match Ups:

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Big Ten is the only Power Five Conference that we really don’t know how good it is.  That changes this week.

Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska all face ranked opponents.  Going 3-0 arguably positions the conference as the best in the Power Five this year.  Anything less could damage the Big Ten’s image and playoff hopes.

Here are the battles that will determine the outcomes:

J.T Barrett vs. Baker Mayfield

This game was circled the day it was scheduled.  The stakes were already high for both teams before Oklahoma’s opening game loss to Houston.  They are even higher now for the Sooners as this is a must win game.

The Buckeyes can recover from a loss, but the Big 12 has looked pedestrian so far this season so a loss could hang like a black cloud in December.

Barrett is off to hot start looking to earn a signature road win and have his team riding high heading into Big Ten play.

As good as Mayfield is, he still lacks a quality win.  He’ll have the home crowd energy behind him and coach Bob Stoops rarely loses in Norman.

Look for both to shine on the big stage with Barrett winning the game by engineering two fourth quarter touchdowns firmly planting him in the Heisman race.

Tyler O’Connor vs. DeShone Kizer

No one knows if Notre Dame would have won the game against Texas two weeks ago if head coach Brian Kelly played Kizer the entire game, but there is no doubt the Fighting Irish are a much better team with him at the helm.  In two games, Kizer has 371 yards passing and seven touchdowns.

O’Connor was very Spartan like in Michigan State’s week one 28-13 win over Furman finishing with 190 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Similar to Oklahoma, this is a must win game for Notre Dame as two losses will end any hope of making it back into the College Football Playoff discussion.

While the win over Furman was ugly, the Spartans have had two weeks to prepare and make corrections.  Expect O’Connor to have a statement game.  If he plays well, Michigan State wins and takes back some of the attention that the Buckeyes and Wolverines have been getting.

Tommy Armstrong, Jr. vs. Dakota Prukup

If Nebraska has any intentions of competing for the Big Ten West title, Armstrong, Jr. has to be at his best.  His first three seasons were up and down while passing for 6691 yards and 53 touchdowns.  He also threw 36 interceptions.

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He has looked great so far against weaker competition.  This game gives him the spotlight to show he’s matured as a passer and is ready to lead the Cornhuskers to divisional title and perhaps more.

Two weeks ago, most thought Washington and Stanford would battle it out for the Pac-12 North title this year.  Oregon quarterback Dakota Prukup has a different opinion.

Prukup transferred to Oregon last winter after a stellar career at Montana State.  He’s already passed for 602 yards and six touchdowns and has many thinking the race in the Pac-12 is wide open.

Defense will be sparse in this game so it comes down to making plays and protecting the ball.  If Armstrong, Jr. avoids interceptions, he’ll get his first signature win and put Iowa and Wisconsin on notice that Nebraska is in the mix.

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