Idle Gophers sit still in middle of Big Ten in Randy Johnson's rankings

BIG TEN

POWER RANKINGS

Randy Johnson ranks 'em:

1. Penn State (3-0): Nittany Lions will try to avoid the trap of a rare night game at Iowa.

2. Michigan (3-0): Wolverines might want to fix their red zone woes (10 trips, one TD) heading to Purdue.

3. Wisconsin (3-0): The two bars in Provo, Utah, had their best sales weekend ever when the Badgers visited BYU last week. That is so delightfully Sconnie.

4. Ohio State (2-1, 1-0): UNLV visits before Buckeyes visit Rutgers. Stat-padding opportunities.

5. Iowa (3-0): A sloppy win over North Texas pointed out where the Hawkeyes must improve before facing Penn State.

6. Maryland (2-0): Terps face a Central Florida has hasn't played since Aug. 31 because of hurricanes.

7. Gophers (3-0): Ball-control offense (36:44 of possession per game, fourth nationally) has led to stingy defense (8 points allowed per game, third nationally). Bye week this weekend, with Maryland up next.

8. Purdue (2-1): The Boilers' 34-3 mauling of Missouri should have them confident against Michigan.

9. Michigan State (2-0): A visit from Notre Dame will tell us a lot more about the Spartans. MSU comes to Minneapolis on Oct. 14.

10. Northwestern (2-1): Bye comes at the right time for these wounded Wildcats.

11. Indiana (1-1, 0-1): Hoosiers have tune-up vs. Georgia Southern before making that tough trip to Penn State.

12. Nebraska (1-2): The timing of Rutgers' visit to Lincoln couldn't be better for the reeling Huskers.

13. Illinois (2-1): Lovie Smith has a QB controversy on his hands: Jeff George Jr. vs. Chayce Crouch.

14. Rutgers (1-2): Scarlet Knights have a puncher's chance to end their 14-game Big Ten losing streak at Nebraska.