Big Ten Football Power Rankings (Week 3): Illinois Makes Big Leap, Nebraska Moves Up

Both Nebraska and Illinois are on the rise after big wins over the weekend. The Huskers took down Colorado while the Fighting Illini knocked off Kansas.

Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) celebrates a win / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

If you love excitement early in the college football season, you probably enjoyed the Big Ten slate over the weekend. Six games featuring teams in the conference were decided by one possession, creating plenty of intrigue across the league.

Illinois was on the right side of an upset, taking down No. 19 Kansas 23-17. No. 21 Iowa dropped a heartbreaker to rival Iowa State 20-19. No. 7 Oregon survived a scare from Boise State. And those are just a few of the highlights.

Along with Illinois, Nebraska was another major winner this weekend, taking down Colorado 28-10 at Memorial Stadium. It has created a lot even more optimism about the season ahead for Matt Rhule's team.

Now that I've provided a bit of a recap from Week 2, let's dive into the Week 3 Big Ten power rankings.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 1 (no change)
• Last week: Ohio State 56, Western Michigan 0
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: It didn't take a half for Ohio State to start flexing its muscle against Western Michigan this week. The Buckeyes fired on all cylinders from the opening kickoff. Ryan Day's team racked up 683 yards of offense and surrendered just 99 yards in the game. Nobody expected Western Michigan to keep this one close, but seeing that type of performance from Ohio State just validates its status as the No. 1 team in the Big Ten right now.

2. USC Trojans

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 3 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: USC 48, Utah State 0
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: D'Anton Lynn needed just two games as USC's defensive coordinator to pitch a shutout. Yes, it came against Utah State, but that's a major accomplishment for a defense that ranked 121st in scoring just one year ago. We're only two games into the young season, but Lincoln Riley appears to have made the necessary changes to compete for a Big Ten championship in USC's first season in the conference. The Trojans get a big test in two weeks, traveling to Ann Arbor to play Michigan in their Big Ten debut.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 2 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Penn State 34, Bowling Green 27
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: "Survive and advance" is usually a phrase we associate with the NCAA basketball tournament, but it applied to Penn State on Saturday. The Nittany Lions got all they could handle from a feisty Bowling Green team. The defense's inability to tackle is going to be something coach James Franklin and defensive coordinator Tom Allen address during an off week. The run game looked strong, getting over 100 yards from both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. That was one of the positive takeaways from a near disaster in Week 2.

4. Oregon Ducks

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 4 (no change)
• Last week: Oregon 37, Boise State 34
• This week: Oregon vs. Oregon State
• Location: Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: The Ducks sure like playing with fire, don't they? Oregon needed a game-winning field goal from Atticus Sappington to avoid an upset at the hands of Boise State. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel played well, completing 18-of-21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. But Oregon continues to struggle on the offensive line and throw the ball deep. The defense also got torched for 221 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. There's a lot to fix in Eugene if this team is going to live up to the high expectations.

5. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 6 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Nebraska 28, Colorado 10
• This week: Northern Iowa vs. Nebraska
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: A tremendous defensive effort a protecting the football were key factors in Nebraska's big win over rival Colorado on Saturday. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola handled the pressure of playing in a big-time environment extremely well, too. The Huskers were crisp in the first half but played sloppy in the second half. So, Matt Rhule has some areas to address, but this already looks like a much more disciplined team than we've seen the last seven years.

6. Michigan Wolverines

• Record: 1-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 5 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Texas 31, Michigan 12
• This week: Arkansas State vs. Michigan
• Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Michigan got quite the wake-up call on Saturday, didn't it? The Wolverines were punched in the face and kicked in the teeth by Texas from start to finish. Three turnovers and just 82 rushing yards were the biggest concerns for Sherrone Moore's team on Saturday. Yes, this offensive line is new and still jelling, but it better figure some stuff out fast. Otherwise, Michigan is going to have travel competing with the conference's top teams.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 13 (up 6 spots)
• Last week: Illinois 23, Kansas 17
• This week: Central Michigan vs. Illinois
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• Time & TV: 12 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: Bret Bielema has racked up some important and impressive wins in his long coaching career, but Saturday's over Kansas might be near the top. The Illini got it done mostly on the defensive end, thanks to three interceptions. Xavier Scott was responsible for two of those, including a huge pick-six off Jalon Daniels. The offense struggled, but did just enough to get the job done. Will this early-season upset give the Illini some momentum as they inch closer to Big Ten play?

8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 10 (up 2 spots)
• Last week: Rutgers 49, Akron 17
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: Usually, its the Rutgers defense that warrants our attention. On Saturday, though, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and running back Kyle Monangai rushed for 208 yards and three scores. It might be the most well-rounded offensive performance we've seen from the Scarlet Knights in a decade. What really stood out in the game? Kaliakmanis showing the ability to stretch the field. That could make Rutgers even more dangerous moving forward.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Record: 1-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 7 (down 2 spots)
• Last week: Iowa State 20, Iowa 19
• This week: Troy vs. Iowa
• Location: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa
• Time & TV: 4 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1)
• The skinny: You might watch the Iowa-Iowa State game 100 times and still wonder how the Hawkeyes lost. Kirk Ferentz's team owned a 13-0 halftime lead and controlled the football with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. 99 times out of 100, Iowa wins the game. As well as the Hawks played in the first half, the defense surrendered 20 second half points and the offense had just five first downs in the second half. Right now, Iowa is struggling to play a full 60 minutes.

10. Wisconsin Badgers

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 9 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Wisconsin 27, South Dakota 13
• This week: Alabama vs. Wisconsin
• Location: Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Early on, it looked like Wisconsin might pummel South Dakota into oblivion, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. But things really slowed down for the Badgers after the first quarter. Wisconsin averaged just 4.2 yards per carry and Tyler Van Dyke continues to struggle with his consistency. Life is about to get much more difficult in Madison, welcoming in Alabama this weekend.

11. Indiana Hoosiers

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 11 (no, change)
• Last week: Indiana 77, Western Illinois 3
• This week: Indiana vs. UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC/Peacock)
• The skinny: Indiana demolished Western Illinois to improve to 2-0 on the season, scoring a program-high 77 points in a blowout victory. But how much can we take away from it? The Leathernecks haven't won a game since 2021 — and that's at the FCS level. Indiana played a nearly perfect game on Friday night and should receive a lot of credit for keeping its foot on the gas. Now, Curt Cignetti faces his first real challenge as the Hoosiers travel to play UCLA.

12. Purdue Boilermakers

• Record: 1-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 12 (no change)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Notre Dame vs. Purdue
• Location: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
• The skinny: Purdue used the off week to get healthy and prepare for Notre Dame. We'll find out just how skilled the Boilermakers are this week with a big test against the Fighting Irish on the horizon.

13. Michigan State Spartans

• Record: 2-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 16 (up 3 spots)
• Last week: Michigan State 27, Maryland 24
• This week: Prairie View vs. Michigan State
• Location: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Is the nickname "Cardiac Spartans" appropriate? With Jonathan Smith's "let it fly" attitude, it seems like Michigan State could be in store for a lot of excitement this season — in both positive and negative ways. Aidan Chiles threw for three touchdowns and three interceptions and the defense made just enough plays to escape College Park with a victory. The Spartans might end up being the most chaotic team in the Big Ten.

14. Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Record: 1-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 14 (no change)
• Last week: Minnesota 48, Rhode Island 0
• This week: Nevada vs. Minnesota
• Location: Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: How do you bounce back from a lousy offensive performance? Score 48 points in your next game. It's only Rhode Island, but that had to serve as a confidence booster for the Gophers after a loss to North Carolina in Week 1. Minnesota got a lot of production from Max Brosmer, who completed 24-of-30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. That's a good sign, even against an FCS opponent.

15. Washington Huskies

• Record: 2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 15 (no change)
• Last week: Washington 30, Eastern Michigan 9
• This week: Washington State vs. Washington
• Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock)
• The skinny: It's still really difficult to know where Washington belongs in the power rankings. The Huskies haven't had any trouble with their first two opponents, but Weber State and Eastern Michigan aren't great measuring sticks. Zach Durfee deserves a lot of credit after finishing the game with 2.5 sacks. Will Rogers also slung the ball all over Eastern Michigan's defense, racking up 261 yards and four touchdowns.

16. Maryland Terrapins

• Record: 1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 8 (down 8 spots)
• Last week: Michigan State 27, Maryland 24
• This week: Maryland vs. Virginia
• Location: Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
• Time & TV: 8 p.m. ET (TV: ACC Network)
• The skinny: Dropping Maryland eight spots might be a bit of an overreaction, but the Terrapins showed some major holes in the secondary in the loss to Michigan State. Plus, Mike Locksley's team struggled to put points on the board after the first quarter. That's been the program's bread-and-butter since he arrived in College Park. It'll be interesting to see how the Terps respond this week against Virginia.

17. Northwestern Wildcats

• Record: 1-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 17 (no change)
• Last week: Duke 26, Northwestern 20 (2OT)
• This week: Eastern Illinois vs. Northwestern
• Location: Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Northwestern had several chances to take down Duke on Friday night but failed to capitalize. The Wildcats have been pretty sound defensively through the first two games, but they lack offensive weapons. Outside of running back Cam Porter and wide receiver AJ Henning, there are very few options for moving the football down the field.

18. UCLA Bruins

• Record: 1-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 18 (no change)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Indiana vs. UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC/Peacock)
• The skinny: A big opportunity awaits UCLA this weekend, hosting its first conference game as a member of the Big Ten. Can the Bruins figure out a way to slow down an Indiana team that has played red-hot in its first two games?