Everything changed in Week 2. Michigan stunned Oklahoma at the Big House, Ohio State chocked away a huge lead in Austin, and Oregon fell in what could be the biggest upset of the season. Accordingly, our power rankings changed dramatically as we can only judge teams by what’s happened on the field.
Here’s what we’ve got headed into Week 3:
10. UCLA Bruins: 2-0, Def. San Diego State 28-10, LW: 12
UCLA has quietly picked up two solid wins with a Week 1 victory of Cal and a Week 2 win over San Diego State. While neither of those two teams appear to be world-beaters,
the fact that Bob Chesney and the new Bruin coaching staff has picked up two quick wins is a good thing for the program.
9. Washington Huskies: 2-0, Def. Utah State 16-14, LW: 8
Washington struggled mightily with Utah State this week. Through two weeks, the Huskies are 2-0 but neither win has been very convincing. There’s certainly still time to figure it out on both sides of the ball, but Washington is fortunate to not have picked up a loss just yet.
8. Oregon Ducks: 1-1, Lost at Oklahoma State 31-39, LW:3
Oregon appeared to have picked up a solid win over a pesky Boise State team in Week 1. They didn’t play excellent, but it was a good opponent. Week 2 was an abject disaster. The Ducks were outplayed on both sides of the ball by an Oklahoma State team that had just lost to Tulsa. Oregon may be able to climb back into the title hunt, but this has been a horrendous start.
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers: 2-0, Def. Bowling Green 56-7, LW: 9
The Cornhuskers faced another lackluster opponent this week in Bowling Green, but they took care of business as expected. The Nebraska offense is firing on all cylinders, having scored 105 points in just two games. The schedule will toughen up soon, but for now, all we know is that they can score on bad teams.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes: 2-0, Def. Iowa State 16-13, LW: 6
Iowa picked up a huge rivalry win with a late-game field goal over Iowa State. The Hawkeye offense is still leaving a lot to be desired, but the Iowa defense appears as elite as it always is. It’s rinse and repeat at Iowa which is good for sixth in the conference for now.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes: 1-1, Lost at Texas 23-24, LW: 1
Ohio State is still in the CFP hunt because of the expanded playoff. But Buckeye fans have to be questioning the coaching staff as they blew a 20-point lead in the second half to Texas thanks to incredibly conservative offensive playcalling. Ohio State also can’t find a kicker to save their lives.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions: 2-0, Def. Temple 27-9, LW: 4
Penn State hasn’t played the toughest of competition so far with wins over Marshall and Temple. However, they also haven’t looked troubled yet either. Four might be a bit generous at this point in the season for the Nittany Lions but we’ll learn more about them as time goes on.
3. USC Trojans: 3-0, Def. Louisiana 49-30, LW: 5
Through three games, the USC offense is looking as advertised. The defense still has some question marks but the Trojans have successfully completed an undefeated non-conference slate.
2. Michigan Wolverines: 2-0, Def. Oklahoma 17-10, LW: 11
You might accuse me of being a homer by putting Wolverines at No. 2. However, Michigan has undoubtedly the best win in the conference so far with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners. The Michigan offense is still a work in progress, but the defense is elite. Despite Week 1’s dramatics, Michigan’s resume now shows a win over the MAC favorite and a CFP contender from the SEC. Who else can say that?
1. Indiana Hoosiers: 2-0, Def. Howard 55-0, LW: 2
With both Ohio State and Oregon faltering this past week, there’s no doubt who should be No. 1 on this list. Indiana hasn’t played anyone yet but they also haven’t scored fewer than 52 points in a game yet either. The reigning national champions get to receive the benefit of the doubt
Everybody else:
- 11. Maryland Terrapins
- 12. Michigan State Spartans
- 13. Northwestern Wildcats
- 14. Illinois Fighting Illini
- 15. Purdue Boilermakers
- 16. Wisconsin Badgers
- 17. Minnesota Golden Gophers
- 18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
