Week 3 is a wrap and in the books! There were plenty of highs and lows (sadly looking at you, Purdue) this week. As always, each week shows how each team really is going to be this season. After three weeks, the puzzle boarder is complete and the inner picture is starting to form. With that, let’s look back at where these Big Ten football teams were ranked in our power rankings after Week 2.
Ohio State Buckeyes
USC Trojans
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Oregon Ducks
Iowa Hawkeyes
Michigan Wolverines
Washington Huskies
Illinois Fighting Illini
Purdue Boilermakers
Indiana Hoosiers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Michigan State Spartans
Maryland Terrapins
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Wisconsin Badgers
Northwestern Wildcats
UCLA Bruins
The Big Ten had four teams on bye this week. Most of them (Ohio State, USC, and Penn State) were ranked inside of the top-4 in last week’s Big Ten Football Power Rankings. This is the weekly reminder that these ranks are based on who they have played, how they have played, and the likelihood that they would win against the teams ranked below them. With that, let’s look at the rankings going into Week 4!
Big Ten Football Power Rankings
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) [–]
The status quo remains the same. With their next matchup being against Marshall, they will be looking to enter Conference play at 3-0 and looking to knock Michigan State down a peg to close out September.
2. USC Trojans (2-0) [–]
Just like Ohio State, the Trojans stay put after their Bye Week. USC returns this Saturday for their first Big Ten matchup as they travel to face off against No. 18 Michigan.
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0) [–]
Nebraska is the first team on this list to have played all three weeks. After a stunner against Colorado, the Cornhuskers hosted Northern Iowa. They did to Northern Iowa what all good teams should do to FCS opponents: easy victory. Nebraska won 34-3 with the Panthers’ only score happening late in the first quarter. From there, they never stood a chance.
Dylan Raiola continued his impressive Ffeshman campaign going 17 of 23 for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and his first career interception. The Nebraska defense continues to look like one of the best in the Big Ten. They host Illinois on Friday night in a ranked, Big Ten matchup.
4. Oregon Ducks (3-0) [+1]
To quote Lizzo: “It’s about damn time!” This is the Oregon team everyone was expecting from the beginning of the season. They went into Oregon State’s stadium for their in-state rivalry game and throttled them. The Ducks put the game away by halftime to the point backup quarterback Dante Moore even got a drive at the end of the game.
Dillon Gabriel went 20 of 24 for 291 yards and two touchdowns plus 64 rushing yards and a rushing TD on four carries. Running backs Jordan James and Noah Whittington added 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Through the air, Tez Johnson was the primary target this week with seven receptions for 110 yards. No one else had more than three receptions. Their defense played well enough to not allow Oregon State to make it a close game, but not exceptionally. Overall, this was the kind of game you want to see as the Ducks are about to start Big Ten play with UCLA and Michigan State coming up.
5. Penn State (2-0) [-1]
Just like Ohio State and USC, Penn State remains in the top-5 through their Bye Week. Unlike the two of them, Penn State moves down one spot because of how they looked against Bowling Green compared to how Oregon looked against Oregon State. This week, No. 10 ranked Penn State hosts Kent State in yet another soft matchup before opening up conference play against Illinois.
6. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0) [+3]
The Fighting Illini moved up to sixth in the power rankings, starting 3-0 with a home win over then-ranked Kansas. They have looked great on both sides of the ball so far this season. This week will be the biggest test of their strength as they travel to Nebraska. Should they stay competitive against the Cornhuskers, then Illinois will be looking at a chance for a 10 win season.
After Nebraska, their most difficult matchups are at Penn State on September 28, hosting Michigan on October 19, and then at Oregon on October 26. Outside of these four games, Illinois should be able to run the table. Expect them to win at least one of these games and push for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoffs.
7. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0) [+4]
This ranking was the most difficult to decide. Should Indiana be ranked above Michigan? That’s the question that a lot of people will be asking. Whether this is the right decision or not, Indiana is the seventh-ranked team in these Big Ten football power rankings.
IU spent the first two weeks beating up on lower tier opponents from the Group of 5 and FCS levels. In Week 2, they dropped a massive 77 points on Western Illinois to extend their losing streak to 26 straight.
In their first Power 5 matchup, the Hoosiers travelled across the country, a time-zone three hours behind, and demolished UCLA on their home turf. 42-13 is not the welcoming embrace the Bruins were hoping to get in their first game in their new conference.
Kurtis Rourke completed 25 of his 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns. While none of his receivers had 100 yards in this game, he did spread it out well with Miles Cross getting 90 yards. In the run game, they had two players with 10 rushes for a combined 80 yards.
Looking at the Hoosiers’ defense, they managed to put more pressure on UCLA’s Ethan Garbers than Garbers could handle. While they only recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery, you would expect there to have been more just watching how well IU rushed the pass. If IU plays like this the rest of the season, expect to see Indiana be ranked and pushing for a 10-win season.
8. Michigan Wolverines (2-1) [-1]
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Looking back over this calendar year, Michigan won the National Championship, lost their head coach, had 13 players drafted (including seven in the top 100 picks and their star QB J.J. McCarthy), struggled against Fresno State, got embarrassed by Texas at home, struggled against Arkansas State, and announced they’re benching QB Davis Warren in favor of Alex Orji. Needless to say, they have had a rough couple of months.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s defense has been great bordering on elite. Without a doubt, the best part of their team has been on the defensive side of the ball. That defense looks like the kind that won a National Championship eight months ago. The offense though – that’s a different story.
On offense, Michigan has not played well. Between forcing the running game through a fourth-year RB who has shown minimal progression since joining the program and a nonsense two-QB system, the offense does not look like great. The switch to Orji may be the best shot for Michigan to get it together this season.
9. I0wa Hawkeyes (2-1) [-3]
Iowa falls here for a similar reason as Michigan. Iowa’s offense is finally looking good. It’s been a few years of them relying on their defense to carry them to victory every game. Now, they have the opposite problem. Their defense is looking like it might lose them games this year.
Allowing Iowa State to come back and win the game was one thing, but allowing a school like Troy to put up 21 and keep the game close is not what you should see from Iowa. Now they travel to Minnesota for a Saturday night game where it seems possible, if not likely, that Minnesota will be able to force this into a shoot out.
10. Washington Huskies (2-1) [-2]
This very well may have been the most embarrassing loss of the week for a Big Ten team, and why the Huskies dropped two spots in these football power rankings. It’s either Washington losing to in-state rivals Washington State or Purdue losing to in-state rival Notre Dame. Both have traditionally been one sided, but the Apple Cup has traditionally been Washington’s to lose and lose they did.
Washington 24-19, where the Huskies led in time of possession, total offensive yards, and passing completion percentage. Will Rogers completed 23 of 31 attempts for over 300 yards. Running back Jonah Coleman had 14 carries for 75 yards and 5.4 yards per carry. Two wide receivers had eight receptions for a combined 220 yards and a TD.
Everything pointed at a Huskies win. However, Wazzu was able to take the lead in the third quarter and never let up. After the game, the fans of Washington State stormed the field to add insult to injury. This week, the Huskies look to bounce back as they host Northwestern in their first Big Ten matchup.
11. Michigan State Spartans (2-1) [+2]
Michigan State is looking better each week. Sure, it was against a school not many people knew existed, but a 40-0 win is not nothing. Both their offense and defense looked good.
Aidan Chiles completed 12 of his 19 attempts for 173 yards and a TD while also rushing one in. Two different RBs had great games with Nate Carter going eight for 91 yards and a TD while Kay’ron Lynch-Adams had 15 carries for 63 yards. 10 different players caught passes with Aziah Johnson leading in yards and Montorie Foster jr. leading in targets and receptions.
This team looks so much better than they did Week 1. The next three weeks will be difficult as they travel to play at Boston College, home against Ohio State, and then at Oregon to start October.
12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0) [–]
Rutgers is coming off of their Bye Week and just like the other three coming off of Byes, the Scarlet Knights stay put at 12th. However, they stay put because Michigan State jumps above them and Purdue falls below them.
After two easier matchups they won by a combined 93-24. They travel to Virginia Tech in their most difficult matchup before Big Ten play. They open their Conference play on Friday, October 27 against Washington.
13. Maryland Terrapins (2-1) [+1]
The Terrapins looked good against Virginia this past week. Looking at betting odds would have had one believing that Maryland would have lost this game. Before kickoff, the spread was in favor of Virginia winning by three points. Instead, Maryland walked in and won by 14.
Their defense was the star of the game with 49 tackles, a sacks, and two interceptions. On offense, Tai Felton was the player to watch. Felton caught nine of his 16 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown.
This week, Maryland closes out their non-conference games by hosting 3-0 Villanova. After that, they are back on the road as they travel to play the Indiana Hoosiers in what is sure to be a high scoring matchup.
14. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) [+1]
After losing to North Carolina Week 1, the Golden Gophers have won both of their other games. A 40-0 victory over Rhode Island was a great bounce back as it prepared them for a 27-0 victory over Nevada.
Max Brosmer still looks like he’s not the answer at quarterback in Minnesota, but running back Darius Taylor looks like the truth. His 11 carries totaled 124 yards and two touchdowns. Even if you remove his longest rush (80 yards), he still averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Taylor also caught all five of his targets for 37 yards and another touchdown. This scrappy Sophomore is doing his best to prove he is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten.
If Minnesota is going to keep feeding Taylor the ball and making him the primary focus of this offense, they will be sure to keep their upcoming games (Iowa, at Michigan, USC) interesting.
15. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) [+1]
Wisconsin’s loss to Alabama was expected. The worst part of the loss was losing QB Tyler Van Dyke to an injury that may keep him out for awhile. Backup QB Braedyn Locke was better than expected in the box score, but he looked like a backup on the field. He completed only half of his attempts for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Add to his lackluster play a run game where the “best” player was Chez Mellusi‘s 11 carries for 66 yards. While that is a good yards per carry average, it’s not enough to be a game changer that they need while Van Dyke is out. They have their Bye this week and travel to USC next week. Hopefully Van Dyke is better for that game. Either way, the Badgers are sure to look rough in their Big Ten opener, so we may see them drop in these football power rankings soon.
16. Purdue Boilermakers (1-1) [-6]
Embarrassing. That’s the only word that comes to mind after Saturday. As Coach Ryan Walters said “There was nothing good to take away from this.” No one looked good for Purdue. The best player on the field for the Boilermakers was Australian Punter Keelan Crimmins. This game almost needs to be completely thrown out for the coaching staff, the players, the fans, and every team they play going forwards! The only place this game belongs is here in these power rankings.
If Purdue plays like this in any other game this season, it will be bad news for Ryan Walters. He may end up getting fired before the season is over if this happens again. This game was always marked as “likely to lose,” but not in the fashion in which they lost.
The bright side is Purdue gets a change of scenery as they travel to play Oregon state. If the trend of being embarrassed leads to a victory the next week, the Beavers should be worried. The Boilers need to bounce back and prove that they are a good team.
17. Northwestern Wildcats (2-1) [–]
What is there to say about Northwestern? They barely won against Miami of Ohio, lost to Duke, and won 31-7 against Eastern Illinois after benching QB Mike Wright in favor of Jack Lausch.
Lausch looked better than Wright and will likely be the starter going forward. His 20 of 31 for 227 yards and two touchdowns was the best performance of the three games so far. That does not say much, as they have yet to play a conference game.
This week, they open their Big Ten play by traveling to Washington. It’s pretty common to see a team get upset one week and then demolish their opponent the next week (*cough* right Purdue? *cough*) in a way that could affect Northwestern’s season going forward.
Their next three games are going to be difficult as they host Indiana and travel to Maryland after Washington. If they’re going to turn their season around, it’ll be in the run game between RB Cam Porter and Lausch.
18. UCLA Bruins (1-1) [–]
UCLA proved something this week. They proved just how legit Indiana is playing. UCLA struggled on both sides of the ball against the Hoosiers. This week, they travel to LSU to play against a Tigers team that is eyeing a playoff birth. If UCLA wins this game, then that should effectively eliminate LSU from the playoffs. That’s the kind of matchup the Bruins are to LSU this week.
After LSU, they host the Oregon Ducks then travel to Penn State. UCLA will be collecting a ton of air milage points as they go back and forth across the country against some really great teams. If the Bruins finish the year 1-11, it would not be too surprising. The matchups that look the most favorable will be them hosting Minnesota in mid-October and ending the year hosting Fresno State. Until proven otherwise, UCLA will likely remain at the bottom of these Big Ten football power rankings.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.