Big Ten Power Rankings after week 3: USC holds strong after bye week

Week three of the college football season is in the books. For the Big Ten, it was a rather uneventful Saturday.

With the top three teams in the conference, Ohio State, USC, and Penn State all enjoying open weeks, there wasn't a ton of intrigue in the conference slate. What's more, the conference didn't manage to secure any noteworthy wins as Wisconsin fell to No. 4 Alabama, Purdue was blown out by No. 18 Notre Dame, and Washington lost its rivalry game to Washington State.

Still, there was some shuffling in our Big Ten power rankings. So let's take a look at how the conference shakes out.

Week 3: Indiana 42, UCLA 13

Routed by an up-and-coming Indiana team in their first-ever Big Ten game, the Bruins have hit rock bottom. The question is how long they will stay there. A week-four game at LSU won't be fun as UCLA is averaging just 14.5 points per game this season as they head to Death Valley.

Week 3: Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7

Purdue had the bad luck of hosting Notre Dame a week after the Irish were stunned by Northern Illinois. It was an ugly scene in West Lafayette as the Irish racked up nearly 600 yards of offense and took out some frustration. Meanwhile, the Purdue offense mustered only six first downs in what was an epic disaster for the program. Now, the Boilermakers must travel to Oregon to face an Oregon State team coming off of its own embarrassing loss to rival Oregon. Will the result be better in Corvallis?

Week 3: Northwestern 31, Eastern Illinois 7

After self-inflicted mistakes cost Northwestern an overtime victory over Duke in week two, the Wildcats rebounded with an easy win over Eastern Illinois. Though it was a win over an FCS team, it was needed in Evanston. Now, the Wildcats travel to Washington to take on a Husky team that could be angry and motivated after losing a rivalry game to Washington State.

Week 3: Washington State 24, Washington 19

Losing the Apple Cup in a one-score game that saw the Huskies turned away at the goal line in the closing moments had to be a tough pill to swallow in week three. How will the Huskies respond when Northwestern comes to town? It will be the first test of resiliency of head coach Jedd Fisch's tenure.

Week 3: Maryland 27, Virginia 13

After coughing up a come-from-ahead loss to Michigan State in week two, Maryland needed week three's win over Virginia. The defense was key in that game forcing four turnovers. Now, comes a winnable game at home against Villanova before high-powered Indiana shows up on the schedule in two weeks.

Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10

Any hopes of toppling No. 4 Alabama in week three were dashed when QB Tyler Van Dyke was lost for the season with a knee injury. The good news is that the Badgers get a week off to prepare for life after Van Dyke. The bad news is that the No. 11 USC Trojans await on the other side of the open week.

Week 3: Minnesota 27, Nevada 0

Back-to-back shutouts against bad teams have helped the Golden Gophers get back on their feet after their season-opening loss to North Carolina. If the defense can come up big again in week four when Iowa comes to the Twin Cities, Minnesota could make things interesting against the Hawkeyes.

Week 3: Michigan State 40, Prairie View 0

We still don't know what to make of the Spartans through three weeks. This past weekend's domination of Prairie View didn't help in that regard. However, the Spartans can prove they are worth watching if they can win at Boston College this weekend. That feels like a critical game given that Ohio State and Oregon are on the schedule after that.

Week 3: Iowa 38, Troy 21

Yes, Iowa did manage to take down Troy in week three but the Hawkeyes struggled at times, especially on offense. Of course, that's long been a problem for that program. Now, it will be fascinating to see how many points Iowa can put up against a Minnesota team that has shut out its last two opponents.

Week 3: Off

Rutgers was off in week three so they have yet to be tested this year. That will change in week four as the Scarlet Knights head to Virginia Tech. So far, Rutgers has won each of their games by at least 32 points. If they can secure another double-digit win this weekend, they will legitimize themselves in the eyes of many fans in the Big Ten.

Week 3: Michigan 28, Arkansas State 18

Change has come to Ann Arbor as backup QB Alex Orji has been promoted to starter ahead of this weekend's showdown with USC. Will that help though given that he has thrown only seven career passes in three college seasons? It is hard to envision the putrid Wolverine offense being able to keep up with the USC offense this weekend.

After beating up on the worst team in the conference, UCLA, to open Big Ten play, Indiana now gets to take on Charlotte, Maryland, and Northwestern before traveling to No. 22 Nebraska. If the Hoosiers can handle their business for the next three weeks, their trip to Lincoln could be an intriguing contest in the Big Ten.

Week 3: Illinois 30, Central Michigan 9

Illinois followed up its week two win over a ranked Kansas team with a ho-hum effort against Central Michigan. In fact, the Illini led just 13-6 at the half. This weekend, they will have to be much better when traveling to Nebraska. However, if they can stun the Huskers as they stunned the Jayhawks, Illinois could find itself ranked in the top 20 or higher.

Week 3: Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3

Friday night, the Huskers host a feisty Illinois team that has already knocked off one ranked team in 2024. It will be a statement opportunity for Matt Rhule's team. Win and most will consider the Huskers rebuild nearly complete. Drop this game, though, and all the goodwill Rhule has built up this season will be lost.

Week 3: Oregon 49, Oregon State 14

Maybe Oregon needed to see a hated rival to wake itself up this season. The Ducks were dominant on the road at Oregon State in week three looking like a playoff contender for the first time this season. Now they get a week off before facing two teams they should maul, UCLA and Michigan State.

Week 3: Off

The Nittany Lions had a week off in week three. They have a pseudo week off in week four with Kent State coming to Happy Valley. After that, a tough home test against No. 24 Illinois awaits. The Nittany Lions need to improve their tackling issues before the Illini come to town.

Week 3: Off

Given how well USC has played this season, the Trojans likely didn't want an open week so early in the season. However, they will benefit from having an extra week to prepare for this week's trip to Michigan. On Saturday, USC can make a statement in the Big House and truly position itself as a Big Ten Championship Game favorite.

Week 3: Off

Ohio State has yet to be tested this year. That won't change in week four as Marshall comes to Columbus. The Buckeyes still look like the most talented team in the Big Ten and possibly the nation. They won't get to prove that for a few weeks, though.