Three weeks are now in the rearview mirror for this year's college football season, and we are starting to learn a little bit 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 we might be able to throw Penn State, USC, and Oregon (maybe Iowa) into 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. And then there's Michigan, and that'a bout all we can say about that.
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 (0-3) | No. 18 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 42-35 vs. USC
Next Game: vs. Howard
Why the ranking
Rutgers played a lot better against what we think is a pretty good USC team but still fell short. The Scarlet Knights are still winless on the season, and it's hard to put them anywhere but here at this point. Maybe Greg Schiano's crew can use this last performance as a springboard to better things.
No. 17 - Purdue Boilermakers (1-2) | No. 17 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 52-38 at UCLA
Next Game: vs. Notre Dame
What goes into the ranking
The Boilermakers have had no problem putting up points but often leave the defense on the bus. It looks like Purdue will have to outscore teams this year, and that's going to be hard once we get into the heart of Big Ten play.
No. 16 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) | No. 16 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 41-7 vs. Akron
Next Game: at Washington
What goes into the ranking
The Golden Gophers looked like world beaters against Akron, but we can't forget the egg they laid against Mississippi State, which is more indicative of the competition P.J. Fleck will have his team rowing against. The former is probably more accurate than the latter.
No. 15 - Michigan State Spartans (2-1) | No. 15 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 27-10 at Notre Dame
Next Game: vs. Nebraska
What goes into the ranking
We still don't know enough about what Pat Fitzgerald has cooking in East Lansing. The Spartans looked competitive against a very good, potential CFP team, Notre Dame. If they keep playing like that, it could be a good start to a new era. We'll likely know more next week when Nebraska comes to town.
No. 14 - Maryland Terrapins (2-1) | No. 13 last week ⇩
Last Game Result: Lost 35-26 vs. Virginia Tech
Next Game: vs. UCLA
What goes into the ranking
I guess we shouldn't be surprised by what happened against Virginia Tech. Maryland has beaten up on inferior teams and struggled against those with a pulse during the Mike Locksley era and James Franklin's team -- though not elite (see what we did there) -- does have a heartbeat. It looks like more of the same this season for the Terps.
No. 13 - Northwestern Wildcats (2-0) | No. 14 last week ⇧
Last Game Result: Won 41-1 vs. Colorado
Next Game: at Indiana
What goes into the ranking
We expected the game against Coach Prime's Colorado team to be more competitive, but the Wildcats took the Buffs behind the woodshed and administered a public flogging. It was probably more of an indictment of the talent level of Colorado than Northwestern, though, and we need to see more.
No. 12 - Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) | No. 12 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 54-10 vs. Eastern Michigan
Next Game: at Penn State
What goes into the ranking
Wisconsin has rebounded well after the loss to Notre Dame, but you can't wash away that poor result as to what the Badgers look like against the best competition. Luke Fickell is on the hot seat, and you have to wonder if simply making a bowl game will get him off of it. That's about where this team is right now: not a contender, but perhaps good enough to get to a bowl.
No. 11 - Illinois Fighting Illini (2-1) | No. 11 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Lost 31-27 vs. Duke
Next Game: vs. Southern Illinois
What goes into the ranking
The Illini were able to get back to winning after the loss to Duke, but there are still concerns about the defense being able to make stops when it needs to against good offenses. An elite offense is waiting for Illinois in Columbus, and we don't think that's going to go well for Bret Bielema.
No. 10 - UCLA Bruins (3-0) | No. 10 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 52-38 vs. Purdue
Next Game: at Maryland
What goes into the ranking
New head coach Bob Chesney has this team playing well, and this might be too low for a Bruins team that looks much improved over the last couple of years. We are still taking a wait-and-see approach until UCLA faces a team it can really measure itself against. Will a road game in Maryland be a test?
No. 9 - Michigan Wolverines (2-1)* | No. 9 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 52-17 vs. UTEP
Next Game: vs. Iowa
What goes into the ranking
Michigan won legitimately for the second week in a row, but the first half was a struggle. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is getting better but still looks like a major work in progress at times. Unless he can develop at a higher rate in-season, there's a ceiling for this team, and it doesn't include a College Football Playoff appearance.
No. 8 - Washington Huskies (3-0) | No. 8 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 48-16 vs. Eastern Washington
Next Game: vs. Minnesota
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. 7 - Oregon Ducks (2-1) | No. 7 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 84-0 vs. Portland State
Next Game: at USC
What goes into the ranking
How much stock do we put in the tipping off of run vs. pass plays and how it contributed to the ho-hum start of the season? Either way, with the talent Oregon has on the roster, the execution should be enough to overcome it. We still think the Ducks will be there at the end; it's just been one of those starts to the season where some kinks have to be ironed out. A win at USC would be a statement that Oregon is still to be taken seriously.
No. 6 - Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0) | No. 6 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 34-7 vs. North Dakota
Next Game: at Michigan State
What goes into the ranking
This has looked like Matt Rhule's best team since taking over in Lincoln, through three games with balance on offense and discipline on defense. Plenty of tough tests remain, however, and until Nebraska can get a signature win against one of the heavyweights of the League, questions remain.
No. 5 - Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) | No. 5 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 55-0 vs. Northern Iowa
Next Game: at Michigan
What goes into the ranking
How seriously should we take Iowa? Probably about as serious as we take the Hawkeyes every year because no team has been as consistently above average as what Kirk Ferentz rolls out every year. Iowa will be highly competitive against really good teams but probably fall short, while beating other teams with solid defense and special teams. A game in Ann Arbor this weekend is a very interesting one.
No. 4 - Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) | No. 4 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 55-13 vs. Buffalo
Next Game: vs. Wisconsin
What goes into the ranking
It seems like Penn State is at least a solid team this year. The talent we've seen in years past might not quite be there, but it's close. If you combine that with a schedule that has the absence of Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon, the Nittany Lions could not only find their way to Indy, but beyond.
No. 3 - USC Trojans (4-0) | No. 3 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 42-35 at Rutgers
Next Game: vs. Oregon
What goes into the ranking
We thought about moving USC down with the poor showing at Rutgers, but it's still a win on the road against a Big Ten foe. The Trojans' offense is really good, but somewhere along the way, you feel like the defense is going to let the Trojans down and keep them from reaching all of their goals.
No. 2 - Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) | No. 2 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 59-3 vs. Kent State
Next Game: vs. Illinois
What went into the ranking
Ohio State did what we thought it would do against Kent State, but there are still issues to work on, namely the offensive line and short-yardage/red zone opportunities. The schedule is brutal with plenty of major tests ahead. The talent is there; it's just a question of being able to finish some of those fourth-quarter games.
No. 1 - Indiana Hoosiers (3-0) | No. 1 last week ⇔
Last Game Result: Won 38-0 vs. Western Kentucky
Next Game: vs. Northwestern
What went into the ranking
The Hoosiers have been on cruise control because of a very easy nonconference schedule. This team still looks really good and probably won't be challenged until mid-October with back-to-back games at Nebraska and at home vs. Ohio State. In Curt Cignetti, Indiana fans trust.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten power rankings after Week 3 of college football
