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Sep 6, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins (2) attempts to tackle Florida International Panthers running back Devonte Lyons (20) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Week 3 Big Ten Power Rankings

Originally posted on EasySportz | By Lee Bushkell | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 2:55 PM ET

The Big Ten has a strong week overall, going 15-3. However, key non-conference losses by UCLA, Michigan and Iowa hurt the conference overall. Week three doesn’t have any marquee games, as most teams will be double-digit favorites and the only in-conference games feature top teams against much weaker Big Ten opponents.

Turn to EasySportz for the best coverage of college football. Here is the SEC’s Week 3 Power Rankings.

1) Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0): Beat Grambling State 70-0, doing what top teams are supposed to do against lesser competition.

2) Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0): Struggled to put points on the board until the last 4 minutes, but still one of the best teams with sizable kinks to work out. Luckily they host FCS team Villanova this week.

3) Oregon Ducks (2-0): The Ducks demolished Oklahoma State 69-3, potentially leveling up to consistently reload instead of rebuild, now in CFP contender territory.

4) Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0): Comfortably beat Duke 45-19 on the road. The game was closer than score indicates, but a P4 win that some pundits had as a trendy upset pick keeps the Illini in the discussion as a potential playoff team.

USC Trojans running back King Miller (30) carries the ball down the field for a touchdown in the second half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

5) USC Trojans (2-0): The Trojans beat Georgia Southern 59-20, keeping them at the top of the conference. USC opens Big Ten conference play on the road at lowly Purdue.

6) Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0): Defeated a helpless Akron 68-0, that’s the long and short of it.

7) Indiana Hoosiers (2-0): Took it to a Kennesaw State team that took Wake Forest to the wire last week, 56-9, moving them up a smidge. New QB Fernando Mendoza looks like the real deal.

8) Michigan Wolverines (1-1): Heralded freshman QB Bryce Underwood struggled in his first road test, losing to Oklahoma 24-13. While the loss is disappointing, it doesn’t affect their conference title or CFP hopes.

9) Iowa Hawkeyes (1-1): Lost to Iowa State 16-13. Losing again to the hated Cyclones shows a familiar story in Iowa City–the defense is still good but offense continues to struggle.

10) Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0): Beat Northwestern State 66-0, feasting on low-level opponents doesn’t move the needle yet, need to see more. A lot of questions will be answered this weekend when they go on the road to face the surprising Cal Golden Bears.

11) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0): Beat Miami (OH) 45-17, but it looks like the Scarlet Kings may struggle this year against quality Big Ten teams.

12) Wisconsin Badgers (2-0): Won 42-10 over Middle Tennessee, as expected, moving on to a much tougher test at Alabama. Alabama’s vulnerable this year–can the Badgers pull off the upset on the road?

Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Cam Davis (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Northwestern State Demons during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

13) Washington Huskies (2-0): Beat UC Davis 70-10, put together another solid performance. Can the Huskies separate themselves from the middle of the pack in the conference? They have a bye this week.

14) Michigan State Spartans (2-0): Won 42-40 in double overtime over Boston College. Michigan State could be formidable later this season as the transfer-heavy Spartans are still jelling.

15) Maryland Terrapins (2-0): Won 20-9 over Northern Illinois, but Maryland didn’t quite show out and won’t be tested this week at home vs. Towson.

16) Purdue Boilermakers (2-0): Purdue beat Southern Illinois 34-17, officially exceeding their win total from 2024. This week it gets much tougher hosting USC.

17) Northwestern Wildcats (1-1): Defeated Western Illinois 42-7, but now has to host the Oregon Ducks to start Big Ten conference play.

18) UCLA Bruins (0-2): After losing to UNLV 30-23, UCLA is the only winless team in Big Ten. The Bruins were overmatched and couldn’t beat a Group of 4 team. This week against New Mexico could be their best chance for a win this season.

This article first appeared on EasySportz and was syndicated with permission.

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