Each week Big Jeff will give his take on the Big Ten football power rankings. The ratings will be a combination of year-to-date game performance and my expectations of how much each team can and will improve during the year. If one team is ranked over another it means I feel on a neutral field the higher ranked team will win.
Finally, I don’t really care about the polls but will get help from other metrics like ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings.
Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings
- Ohio State (3-0) – The Buckeyes have not played anybody but the talent on both sides of the ball is obvious, and they have dominated the opposition so far.
- Penn State (2-0) – some would argue USC deserves to be here. Based on pure results I would agree, but I believe in the overall talent of Penn State on both sides of the ball to put them #2. Their road win in week 1 vs. West Virginia is one of the most impressive of any Big Ten team.
- Oregon (3-0) – we finally saw the performance we expected from the Ducks this past week against Oregon State. Despite the lack of consistent play, I still believe in Oregon’s overall talent level and expect them to continue to look better each week.
- USC (2-0) – the Trojans opening win vs. LSU is holding up well though LSU barely won at South Carolina on Saturday, but it’s clear the defense has made good progress under new Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn and certainly are more physical. A good offense is a given under Riley. We will know more after Saturday at Michigan if USC belongs more like in the #2 spot in the Big 10.
- Nebraska (3-0) – The Cornhuskers have a proven winning coach in Matt Rhule. Their defense has been good for several years now. Then when you add in a 5-star player in Dylan Raiola at QB the most important position in the game, it should be no big surprise Nebraska looks like they will make a huge leap this year.
- Indiana (3-0) – I graduated from Indiana and can’t believe I am putting the Hoosiers in the 6 spot. But Curt Cignetti is a proven winner and his formular to bring in players who have shown strong production at the college level appears to be working really well in Bloomington.
- Michigan (2-1) – Michigan has been disappointing in multiple ways. We knew they would likely struggle at QB but why is the running game not even better and why is this star-studded defense looking pretty average. This USC game at home Saturday will reveal how high the ceiling is for the Wolverines this year.
- Iowa (2-1) – Despite the Iowa State loss the Hawkeyes have things to be positive about. The defense is still salty but more important they have a bell cow running back this year with Junior running back Kaleb Johnson who leads the nation in rushing. But Iowa still needs that passing game to improve.
- Rutgers (2-0) – The Scarlet Knights have a really high ceiling given their relatively easy schedule and impressive running game led by Senior running back Kyle Monangai who is averaging 8.1 yards/carry. Rutgers has a good test this week at Virginia Tech.
- Illinois (3-0) – Welcome to the Top 25 Fighting Illini. A very impressive start for Brett Bielema’s team but I am still a doubter they are in the top half of the Big Ten. If they win at Nebraska Saturday, then I will be a believer.
- Washington (2-1) – I don’t know what to make of the Huskies other than they blew the game vs. Washington State with too many penalties as a main culprit. The schedule is backloaded, so we won’t really know how good the Huskies are until October.
- Minnesota (2-1) – Starting with the Gophers, the next 5 teams listed here probably could be scrambled around easily. All have been kind of a mixed bag. I put the Gophers here before the others though since I trust the consistency of PJ Fleck’s program.
- Maryland (2-1) – Another roller coaster ride from Mike Locksley’s program. After a disappointing home loss to Michigan State 27-24 in week 2, the Terps turn around to win a big road game at Virginia 27-13 a week later. That inconsistency week-to-week keeps me from ranking the Terps higher.
- Wisconsin (2-1) – I am really surprised the Badgers have not made a bigger step in year 2 under Luke Fickell. The Phil Longo experiment as an Air Raid Offensive Coordinator guru appears to not be working. The performance over the first 3 games are not encouraging. In the long-term I believe Fickell will adjust and be successful.
- Michigan State (3-0) – The Spartans should probably be ranked higher, but I need to see more. The road win over Maryland was great but I downgrade it some given Maryland’s inconsistencies. The upside is high though with talented QB Aidan Chiles.
- Northwestern (2-1) – The Wildcats have a typical smart and hard-nosed team, but with a very limited offense. A road game at Washington this week will be another important data point to evaluate. Until then, I have them 16th.
- Purdue (1-1) – Coming off their all-time worst loss to Notre Dame 66-7, I just can’t put the Boilermakers up higher than I have them here. Enough said.
- UCLA (1-1) – The Bruins were completely dominated by Indiana 42-13. Given they have a new and unproven coach in DeShaun Foster I have to place them last in the Big Ten.
Big Ten football power rankings after week 3 | Buckeyes Wire (usatoday.com)
Week 3 Big Ten Football Top Storylines – Big Jeff’s Football (bigjeffsfootball.com
