Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz usually scour published quotes for bulletin-board material to pump up their players, not provide it to other teams.
So it wasn’t much of a shock when the coaches of the two surprise teams in the Big Ten West declined to declare themselves division favorites before conference play kicks off Saturday.
“I see everyone’s record, and it looks like it’s wide open.” said Fitzgerald, whose Wildcats (4-0) play host to Minnesota (3-1) in the conference opener for both teams in Evanston, Ill.
Over in Madison, Ferentz’s 4-0 Hawkeyes have an 11 a.m. kickoff against the Badgers (3-1).
“If you talk about the teams on our side of the conference, anybody can go on and have a great season and it wouldn’t shock me at all,” Ferentz said.
Top-ranked Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan State — as expected — are the East’s elite teams. In the West, it’s much murkier.
Wisconsin was the preseason favorite to win the division with 32 first-place votes, according to a Cleveland.com poll, while Nebraska had five and Minnesota three.
Wisconsin has advanced to the Big Ten championship game in three of the past four years, but Big Ten Network analyst Stanley Jackson questions whether the Badgers can be as explosive with star running back Melvin Gordon now in the NFL.
“Whenever you get rid of one individual player that is that dominant offensively, they go into transition,” said Jackson, who played quarterback at Ohio State from 1994-97.
Wisconsin’s rushing concerns have grown with the heir apparent at running back, Corey Clement, sidelined for a month or more with a sports hernia. Still, the only blemish on the Badgers’ record has been a 35-17 loss to No. 13 Alabama.
At Nebraska (2-2), Jackson was skeptical about how dual-threat quarterback Tommy Armstrong would fit in new coach Mike Riley’s pro-style offense.
That isn’t the main issue anymore as Armstrong leads the conference in total offense (346 yards per game). Instead, it’s the gaping defense, which has allowed an average of 453 yards.
“That’s why I thought this could be the year for Minnesota and Iowa,” Jackson said.
But Jackson has hit the reset button and now is picking Iowa to win the West.
The Hawkeyes have beaten Power Five conference teams Iowa State and Pittsburgh, while the Gophers lost to No. 4 Texas Christian and had three-points wins over Colorado State (Mountain West), and Kent State and Ohio (Mid-American).
Jackson has been unimpressed by Minnesota’s offense, which ranks last in scoring in the 14-team Big Ten and 119th of 127 programs in the nation.
“They are still trying to find their running game,” he said.
A month into the season, Jackson said it can be easy to forget the Gophers are without star running back David Cobb and tight end Maxx Williams, who have moved on to the NFL.
“Sometimes that turnover is too great to overcome,” he said.
At Iowa, C.J. Beathard seems to have solved the quarterback problem. Named the starter when Jake Rudock transferred to Michigan, Beathard ranks third in the conference with 240 passing yards per game and has six touchdown passes to one interception.
“I think they have the most balance on offense, and I think their defense is playing as good as anybody,” Jackson said.
No. 16 Northwestern, meanwhile, beat 18th-ranked Stanford in the season opener and has allowed just three touchdowns in four games.
The Wildcats’ lockdown defense has helped freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson get acclimated.
“I don’t think anyone expected them to be ranked in the top 25 and undefeated,” Jackson said. “But I don’t know how much they can win without a little bit more experience in the passing game.”
The Wildcats also have played well in past Septembers only to fall on their face the following month. Since 2010, they are 20-2 in September but just 6-14 in October. In Big Ten openers, Fitzgerald is 2-7.
“I don’t know if this is any different than the ones that we’ve had in the past from the standpoint that we’ve been pretty successful in September,” Fitzgerald said. “But the focus of this team is probably what gives me the most pleasure.”
Like Ferentz and Fitzgerald before him, Gophers coach Jerry Kill was deferential with his prognosis of the West.
“Northwestern is playing at a very high level, but at the same time I think anything can happen on any given Saturday,” he said. “I think each week is going to be a battle, and the team that can stay the healthiest and be able to handle the grind in the Big Ten will have the opportunity to win.”
Follow Andy Greder at twitter.com/andygreder.
IN THE CROSSHAIRS
The Big Ten West Division could be decided by each contender’s crossover schedule against two teams from the East.
MINNESOTA
Oct. 31 — No. 22 Michigan (3-1)
Nov. 7 — at No. 1 Ohio State (4-0)
NORTHWESTERN
Oct. 10 — at No. 22 Michigan (3-1)
Nov. 7 — Penn State (3-1)
WISCONSIN
Oct. 31 — Rutgers (2-2)
Nov. 7 — at Maryland (2-2)
IOWA
Oct. 31 — Maryland (2-2)
Nov. 7 — at Indiana (4-0)
Northwestern has rolled to a 4-0 start and No. 16 ranking behind freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson.
