Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 3

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Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season.

The rules are few, but resolute:

Teams are ranked by how they’re playing at that time. Not body of work, not rankings in the polls, but simply how each team is playing at that point in the season.

The approach to the rankings is not necessarily on the field results (though those do count, as an obvious, tangible data point), but more generally if the two teams played at a neutral site 100 times, which team would win 51 times (or more).

These rankings are subjective. As the author I get to follow the rules as closely or loosely as I want to, and if you don’t like the rankings, you’re wrong.

Week 3 is in the books, and things largely went the way we expected. Let’s get to it!

Tier 1: Playoff Locks

Teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs, if they continue to play the way they have played thus far.

1. Indiana

A run of the mill 38-0 win over Western Kentucky later, and we still don’t know much about the Hoosiers other than they’re still good at football. Northwestern comes to town next to kick off Big Ten play for both teams.

2. Ohio State

A week after losing to Texas, Ohio State is back to its winning ways, defeating Kent State 59-3. The Illini come to town next as the teams begin conference play.

Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls

Teams that could very well end up in the playoffs, but need to continue to improve their resume and move up the rankings before they can make it.

3. USC

The Trojans traveled east and had their hands full with Rutgers, ultimately coming away with a 42-35 nailbiting win. A top 20 game looms as #20 Oregon comes to town, with both teams looking to make a September statement.

4. Oregon

Speaking of the Ducks, they mollywopped Portland State 84-0, venting some frustration after their loss to Oklahoma State. They’ll travel to take on #12 USC next in an old Pac-12 battle.

5. Penn State

The Lions got a lot of things right in a 55-13 rout of Buffalo, and appear poised to make some noise in the Big Ten. They’ll welcome Wisconsin to get things started next.

6. Michigan

Things looked shaky for Michigan as they trailed UTEP at first, but ultimately got themselves sorted and got a 52-17 win. A top 20 game looms as #17 Iowa comes to town next.

7. Iowa

The Hawkeyes remained unbeaten as they defeated Northern Iowa 55-0. Competition gets a whole lot stiffer as Iowa travels to play #18 Michigan next.

Tier 3: High-Level Bowl Teams

Teams that likely won’t make the playoffs, but will represent the conference in quality bowls, including the Citrus Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

8. Washington

The Huskies sorted some things out, and got a solid 48-16 win over Eastern Washington. Minnesota comes to town next to get B1G play going.

9. Nebraska

A 34-7 win over North Dakota is fine, not much else to say about it. Big Red travels to play Michigan State next.

10. Northwestern

The Wildcats turned some heads with a dominating 41-7 win over Colorado, a week after an early season bye. Northwestern travels to play #5 Indiana next in a tough start to conference play.

Tier 4: Low-Level Bowl Teams

Teams that will end up making it to a bowl game, but likely the bowls that aren’t quite as prestigious, including the Pinstripe Bowl and the Music City Bowl.

11. Michigan State

The Spartans couldn’t hang with #3 Notre Dame, ultimately falling 27-10 to the Domers. Nebraska visits town next to get Big Ten things going.

12. Illinois

A 48-10 win over Southern Illinois is fine, and gets the Illini back in the win column. They’ll travel to play #7 Ohio State next.

13. Minnesota

The Gophers got back to winning as well, defeating Akron 41-7. A trip west to take on Washington is on the docket.

14. UCLA

The Bruins downed Purdue 52-38, and currently lead the Big Ten, just as we all predicted. A cross-country trip is up next, as the team travels to play Maryland.

15. Wisconsin

A 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan is a fine way to end non-conference play. A road trip east to take on #13 Penn State is up next.

16. Maryland

September Maryland took a rare loss as the Terrapins fell to Virginia Tech 35-26. The UCLA Bruins come to town next.

Tier 5: Bowl-Ineligible Teams

Teams that are on a trajectory to end the season below .500 and miss out on a post-season bowl game.

17. Purdue

The Boilermakers couldn’t hang with UCLA, falling 52-38. A visit from #3 Notre Dame is next, which just isn’t very nice.

Tier 6: The Basement™

The worst of the worst, teams whose fans wear paper bags over their heads and count down the days until they have a new head coach.

18. Rutgers

Rutgers showed more fight than expected in a 42-35 loss to USC, but a loss is a loss, and the Scarlet Knights remain winless on the year. Howard comes to town next, in what may be one of the last real chances for Greg Schiano to get win #100 at Piscataway.

You guys didn’t comment about my fun fact last week, so now you’re not getting any more.

Indiana, Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, and Nebraska all stay steady in a week of non-conference romps. Northwestern and Michigan State flip flop. Illinois and Minnesota stand pat while UCLA and Wisconsin rise. Maryland tumbles, with Purdue and Rutgers hanging out at the bottom.

On to Week 4!

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