Four weeks are now in the rearview mirror for this year's college football season, and we are beginning to learn more and more about the Big Ten and which teams look like pretenders and those that have some work to do in order to even be considered pretenders.
We still feel pretty good about Ohio State and Indiana, but teams like Penn State and USC got a little dose of reality over the weekend, while Oregon and Iowa made statements to be in that conversation as well. Rutgers and Purdue look to be two of the bottom teams right now, and the rest will have to sort themselves out. Then there's Michigan, who got a heaping of karma against the Hawkeyes.
It's our weekly Big Ten football power rankings, and things continue to sort themselves out and will
so even more when the conference season gets fully underway. There are only three games to judge by, and this will change a thousand ways once the teams in the League start beating up on themselves.
Here's a look at our Week 3 Big Ten football power rankings. We start from No. 18 and make our way down to No. 1.
No. 18 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-3) | No. 18 last week⇔
Last Game Result: Won 58-7 vs. Howard
Next Game: vs. Indiana
Why the ranking
The Scarlet Knights are definitely playing better and making fewer mistakes, but there's still not a win against any kind of competition. Beating Howard to death is a nice step, but Rutgers has to start showing more now that it's in the Big Ten and in a hurry if it has any designs on turning things around and somehow making a bowl game.
No. 17 - Purdue Boilermakers (1-3) | No. 17 last week⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 49-10 vs. Notre Dame
Next Game: at Illinois
What goes into the ranking
We thought the Purdue offense was at least formidable, but last week showed that too might be an issue against really physical teams. Combine that with a downright awful defense, and don't be surprised if the Boilermakers eventually take the last spot in these power rankings.
No. 16 - Maryland Terrapins (2-2) | No. 14 last week⇩
Last Game Result: Lost 54-3 vs. UCLA
Next Game: at Nebraska
What goes into the ranking
Maryland is beginning its annual dive off of the cliff of respectability, apparently. It's one thing to lose, but to get beaten as badly as the Terrapins did against UCLA is some serious, serious cause for concern. Whether or not this team can stay engaged after the last couple of weeks will be interesting.
No. 15 - Michigan State Spartans (2-2) | No. 15 last week⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 31-13 vs. Nebraska
Next Game: at Wisconsin
What goes into the ranking
Michigan State seemed to be pointed in the right direction with a respectable game against Notre Dame last week, but the loss to Nebraska in East Lansing kind of makes us pump the brakes a little. It was never going to be an overnight rebuild for Pat Fitzgerald, so we'll look for improvement throughout the season.
No. 14 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1) | No. 16 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 27-24 at Washington
Next Game: at Michigan
What goes into the ranking
Just when you thought Minnesota was down and out after a poor showing against Mississippi State, the last two weeks have been great. Seeing P.J. Fleck paint his face with "war paint" is not so great, but maybe the Golden Gophers are better than we think. Maybe?
No. 13 - Illinois Fighting Illini (2-2) | No. 11 last week⇩
Last Game Result: Lost 42-19 at Ohio State
Next Game: vs. Purdue
What goes into the ranking
Illinois actually played pretty well on offense; it just couldn't finish opportunities. The defense, especially through the air, was a mess, and the injuries are also piling up. The season is not lost yet, but the Illini need to find a way to get into the details a little and stack up some wins. Hosting Purdue might be the medicine to start getting healthy.
No. 12 - Northwestern Wildcats (2-1) | No. 14 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Lost 29-23 at Indiana
Next Game: vs. Penn State
What goes into the ranking
Northwestern gave Indiana all it could handle, and there was thought of moving the Wildcats up more than this. However, if you've followed these power rankings throughout the years, you know we aren't keen on giving teams credit for a loss. If Northwestern can play as it did in Bloomington, however, that'll take care of itself.
No. 11 - Washington Huskies (3-1) | No. 8 last week⇩
Last Game Result: Lost 27-24 vs. Minnesota
Next Game: at USC
What goes into the ranking
Washington started slow last week, and there just seems to be something missing in Seattle so far in the year, with the offense being a consistent one. There's still time to get better, but the Huskies don't seem like a real threat to be in the Big Ten and CFP conversations.
No. 10 - Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) | No. 4 last week⇩
Last Game Result: lost 24-20 vs. Wisconsin
Next Game: at Northwestern
What goes into the ranking
Penn State has a relatively easy schedule compared to other Big Ten contenders, but there wasn't a really good test to see where things really were. Losing to Wisconsin in Happy Valley won't give anyone confidence that this team can take advantage of not playing Ohio State, Indiana, or Oregon. This weekend will be huge to turn things around in Evanston.
No. 9 - Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) | No. 11 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 24-20 at Penn State
Next Game: at Michigan State
What goes into the ranking
Where did that come from? Wisconsin came up off the mat to get the type of win that could be a springboard. We still can't forget about the ugly loss to Notre Dame, but it does look like things are headed in the right direction, and we need to see it continue.
No. 8 - Michigan Wolverines (3-1)* | No. 9 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Lost 20-19 vs. Iowa
Next Game: at Minnesota
What goes into the ranking
The Wolverines dominated Iowa, but it's the final score that matters, and mistakes opened the door for the Hawkeyes, who were more than happy to walk through with a walk-off win. Michigan does look like an improving team, but it'll have to stop the mistakes that could derail things.
No. 7 - UCLA Bruins (4-0) | No. 10 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 52-38 vs. Purdue
Next Game: Off
What goes into the ranking
Is UCLA as good as it has looked? Is this Indiana 2.0, like what we saw when Curt Cignetti came from the same James Madison program that Bob Chesney did? There's no doubt this team is light-years better than the last couple of seasons; we're just waiting to see what happens when the Bruins go up against a quality opponent, like at Oregon in a couple of Saturdays.
No. 6 - USC Trojans (4-1) | No. 3 last week⇩
Last Game Result: Lost 41-27 vs. Oregon
Next Game: vs. Washington
What goes into the ranking
The defense finally cost USC. You knew there would be a moment when the offense couldn't simply outscore an opponent, and we saw that with Oregon Saturday. There's still plenty of tests ahead for that defense to show up, and now the margin of error is not as great. Expectations of how good this team is may have been reset a bit.
No. 5 - Oregon Ducks (3-1) | No. 7 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 41-27 at USC
Next Game: Off
What goes into the ranking
Are we seeing this Oregon team start to be what we thought it would be? The injury to Dante Moore is worth monitoring, and we wish him nothing but a speedy recovery and full health. Dylan Raiola is still good enough to continue this team's journey if he needs to, and don't be surprised if this talented roster is there at the end.
No. 4 - Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0) | No. 6 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 31-13 at Michigan State
Next Game: vs. Maryland
What goes into the ranking
This looks like the best team we've seen under Matt Rhule, and it'll be interesting to see Nebraska when it gets one of those matchup games against equal or better talent. It's still hard to believe the Cornhuskers have what it takes to dethrone one of the big boys of the league, but this team is going to surprise someone along the way.
No. 3 - Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) | No. 5 last week⇧
Last Game Result: Won 20-19 at Michigan
Next Game: vs. Ohio State
What goes into the ranking
I don't know that I believe Iowa will be here at the end of the rope, but beating Michigan in Ann Arbor and still sitting there at 4-0 says this team is finding a way to win, and that counts for something. Now, if Iowa springs a major upset on Saturday when Ohio State comes to town, look out!
No. 2 - Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) | No. 2 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 42-19 vs. Illinois
Next Game: at Iowa
What went into the ranking
We could make a very good argument for Ohio State being the No. 1 team in the League right now with what we've seen in comparison between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes. But Indiana is still undefeated, and you feel good about this team turning things on when it needs to under Curt Cignetti. One thing we need to see get better for Ohio State, though, is the defensive effort, especially against the run.
No. 1 - Indiana Hoosiers (4-0) | No. 1 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 29-20 vs. Northwestern
Next Game: at Rutgers
What went into the ranking
Indiana looks to be a little behind schedule compared to where it was last year, but this is still a very well-coached team, with experience and talent. Don't be surprised if the Hoosiers continue to get better as the season goes on and are right there playing for really big things again.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Week 4 | Buckeyes Wire
