Week 2 of the college football season provided several huge storylines in the Big Ten. A pair of premiere Big Ten programs suffered stunning losses, as Oregon lost to Oklahoma State as a 23.5-point favorite while Ohio State gave away a 20-point lead in the 2nd half against Texas.
The Indiana Hoosiers had little trouble moving to 2-0 by picking up an emphatic 55-0 victory over Howard. Indiana is now the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the AP Poll, and has a firm hold on the No. 1 spot in this week's Big Ten power rankings. But how far did Oregon and Ohio State drop? Let's take a look.
Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-2, 0-0)
17. Purdue Boilermakers (1-1, 0-0)
16. Michigan State Spartans (2-0, 0-0)
15. Maryland Terrapins (2-0, 0-0)
After losing to UMass and Boston College, Greg Schiano's Rutgers Scarlet Knights continue to be in the cellar of our Big Ten power rankings.
Purdue could have moved up with a win over Wake Forest, but the Boilers lost a heartbreaker in double overtime at home.
Michigan State has taken care of business against two MAC teams to begin the Pat Fitzgerald era, while Maryland is 2-0 after picking up a solid 38-14 win over UConn on Saturday.
Not much debate about these teams, and it will be interesting to see if they are able to move up in the coming weeks.
14. Wisconsin Badgers (1-1, 0-0)
13. Northwestern Wildcats (1-0, 0-0)
12. Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-1, 0-0)
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0, 0-0)
Wisconsin handled Western Illinois after losing to Notre Dame, while Northwestern enjoyed an early bye week this past weekend.
Minnesota had a chance to really make a statement with a home matchup against Mississippi State, but the Golden Gophers fell flat in a lopsided 38-13 loss. That defeat knocked them down from No. 9 last week to No. 12 this week.
Nebraska has scored 105 total points in two wins over Ohio and Bowling Green.
10. Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1, 0-0)
9. UCLA Bruins (2-0, 0-0)
8. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0, 0-0)
7. Oregon Ducks (1-1, 0-0)
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0, 0-0)
Illinois lost at home to Duke, which dropped them from No. 8 to No. 10.
Bob Chesney is off to a 2-0 start at UCLA after picking up wins over Cal and San Diego State. The Bruins are a team to keep an eye on this season. Don't be surprised if they continue to move up in the Big Ten power rankings in the coming weeks.
Iowa was favored by two touchdowns against rival Iowa State, and was able to escape with a 16-13 win.
Oregon falls from No. 3 to No. 7. The Ducks have looked extremely unimpressive through two weeks, and have some serious soul-searching to do if they want to get back on track.
Penn State started slow against Temple but was able to turn things on in the 2nd half with a 27-9 victory.
5. Michigan Wolverines (2-0, 0-0)
4. Washington Huskies (2-0, 0-0)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1, 0-0)
2. USC Trojans (3-0, 0-0)
1. Indiana Hoosiers (2-0, 0-0)
Michigan has had a wild roller coaster ride to start the season. After needing a miracle against Western Michigan, the Wolverines bucked up and earned a huge win over No. 11 Oklahoma by a score of 17-10.
Washington's offense hasn't looked nearly as explosive as anticipated heading into the season, but the defense has been rather impressive in wins over Washington State and Utah State.
Ohio State falls from No. 2 to No. 3. The Buckeyes dominated the Longhorns for 3 quarters, only to see it all fall apart down the stretch. Ohio State has now lost 3 of its last 4 games, with the lone win coming against Ball State.
USC is off to a 3-0 start, and the offense is firing on all cylinders. In a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley, the Trojans are right where they want to be through their first 3 games.
We've had Indiana in the No. 1 spot in all three weeks, and the Hoosiers have put forth two emphatic wins against lesser opponents to begin the season. Curt Cignetti has his team rolling early on, and with other top Big Ten teams struggling, Indiana is the clear No. 1 team in the Big Ten right now.
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