Big Ten power rankings after Week 2: USC continues its meteoric rise

After two weeks of the season, the Big Ten appears to be ripe for the picking. Preseason conference title contenders Oregon and Michigan have not impressed thus far, especially the Wolverines who were blown out of their own building by Texas this past weekend.

Meanwhile, other Big Ten programs such as Penn State and USC continue to try to prove they are not only threats to win the league but that they are also College Football Playoff contenders. So let's dive into our conference power rankings to see where USC and the rest of the conerence stand after two weeks.

Week 2: Idle

UCLA has played only once this year, a 16-13 road victory over Hawaii. This weekend, they face a high-powered Indiana offense that will present plenty of problems. Still, if the Bruins can pick up a win in this game, it will be a great step forward for new head coach DeShaun Foster as he tries to rebuild his alma mater's program.

Week 2: 27-24 loss to Michigan State

After hanging 50 points on lowly UCONN in their opener, the Terrapins struggled on offense after stalling out against Michigan State. Their secondary was also exposed by a mediocre Spartan passing attack. However upcoming games against Virginia and Villanova will proved Mayland with some opportunities to get back on track.

Week 2: 26-20 OT loss to Duke

Northwestern had a golden opportunity to beat a Power 4 opponent on Friday night at home. However, mistakes and miscues allowed Duke to sneak out of Evanston with a 26-20 double-OT win. The upcoming schedule is manageable for the Wildcats, though, meaning they have an opportunity to put week two's disappointing showing in the past.

Week 2: 30-9 over Eastern Washington

Washington is tough to get a handle on because they've yet to be tested. Opening the season with blowout wins over Weber State and Eastern Michigan, the Huskies have eased into 2024. That changes this weekend when they take part in the Apple Cup, their annual rivalry game against Washington State.

Week 2: 48-0 win over Rhode Island

After week one's heartbreaking loss to North Carolina, Minnesota took out its frustrations on Rhode Island in week two. QB Max Brosmer, completed 24-of-30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns to show significant progress over week one. Now, a game against Nevada provides the final opportunity to work out the kinks before Big Ten play begins against Iowa.

Week 2: Idle

Another Big Ten team that has yet to be tested is Purdue. After an easy win over Indiana State in week one, the Boilermakers were off in week two. They will have their hands full in week three, though, as they host a Notre Dame team that is going to come to town angry after being upset by Northern Illinois this past weekend.

Week 2: 27-24 win over Maryland

The Spartan's offense looked potent in a win over Maryland in week two. However, the Spartans have opened the year with a pair of one-score wins leaving many to think they are not still not a great team. Their next game, which is against Prairie View A&M, won't tell us a lot more about the Spartans. Soon though, we will know all we need to know as they have Boston College, Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, and Michigan in successive weeks.

Week 2: 77-3 win over Western Illinois

The Hoosiers have won their two games this year by an averaged of 49 points. However, beating FIU and Western Illinois is nothing to write home about. This week, they have a chance to prove they are to be taken seriously if they can beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

Week 2: 27-13 win over South Dakota

Beating Western Michigan and South Dakota in unimpressive fashion has not made Wisconsin look all that potent on offense under second-year head coach Luke Fickell. Transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke has struggled completing just over 60% of his passes this year. He'll have to be much better than that if the Badgers are going to be able to hang with Alabama in week three.

Week 2: 20-19 loss to Iowa State

In week two, the Hawkeyes let a big lead slip away at home against rival Iowa State. That's the second straight time they have lost to the Cyclones at home. This week, Iowa should get right against Troy but upcoming games against Minnesota, Ohio State, and Washington (the first two of which will be played on the road) will go a long way in defining the Hawkeyes in 2024.

Week 2: 49-17 win over Akron

Another Big Ten team that has had it easy thus far is Rutgers. Blowout wins over Howard and Akron tell us nothing about the Scarlet Knights. This coming week, they step up in competition by facing Virginia Tech. That will begin a three-game stretch which also includes a home game against Washington and a road trip to Nebraska. If the Scarlet Knights can go 2-1 or even 3-0 in that stretch, they will be one of the stories of the year in the Big Ten.

Week 2: 23-17 win over No. 19 Kansas

It could be argued that no team in the Big Ten did more in week two for its national perception than Illinois. Taking down No. 19 Kansas 23-17, the Illini topped a team that many people considered a dark horse contender to win the Big 12. After hosting Central Michigan in week three, back-to-back road trips to No. 23 Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State will show whether or not Illinois is capable of competing with the top teams in the conference.

Week 2: 31-12 loss to No. 3 Texas.

On the other hand, no team took a bigger hit in week two than Michigan. Losing at home to Texas is nothing to be ashamed of given that the Longhorns are a National Championship contender. However, putting up no fight and looking completely inept on offense was a terrible look for the defending champions. The Wolverines had better get right this weekend against Arkansas State because, after that, they host a red-hot USC team that will be coming off of an open week.

Week 2: 37-34 win over Boise State

Oregon entered the season as a trendy pick to win the Big Ten. However, the Ducks have looked like anything but a title contender through two weeks. After struggling to put Idaho away in week one, the Ducks had to hit a last-second field goal to beat Boise State at home in week two. They now head into their annual rivalry game against Oregon State (a road contest, by the way) needing to look the part of a playoff contender before people start to write them off as a pretender.

Week 2: 28-10 win over Colorado

The Matt Rhule rebuild in Lincoln, Nebraska took a huge step forward when the Cornhuskers beat up rival Colorado in week two. That nationally televised game showed the country that Nebraska is trending upward in year two of the Rhule era. Sure, Colorado looks like a bad team again this year but the thumping that the Huskers put on the Buffaloes opened the eyes of the college football world.

Week 2: 34-27 win over Bowling Green

After opening the season with a dominant road win against rival West Virginia, Penn State was nearly upset at home by Bowling Green. Was that a case of the Nittany Lions taking their inferior opponent lightly? That's the likely explanation. Now, they have three home games in a row, all of which they should win with relative ease, before an October 12 showdown in L.A. against USC. Hopefully, their lose call in week two will be a reminder not to take any team lightly.

Week 2: 48-0 win over Utah State

On a Saturday that saw a number of ranked teams struggle to put away Group of 5 opponents, USC didn't mess around. A 48-0 win over Utah State was the program's first shutout since 2011 and it showed once again new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn has his side of the ball playing with a new attitude. In two weeks, it will be interesting to see if that defense can dominate a poor Michigan offense on the road. If that happens, USC will have a great shot at playing for the Big Ten title.

Week 2: 56-0 win over Western Michigan

While Ohio State has yet to be tested this year, they have looked the part of the best team in the Big Ten thanks to two blowout wins to open the season, each of which saw the Buckeyes hang 50 points on the board while allowing six or fewer to their opponent. OSU should stay atop the Big Ten power rankings for a while as they won't face a team that can beat them until they host No. 9 Oregon on October 12.