Week 3 didn’t shake up the Big Ten’s top tier much, but it did sharpen the divide between the teams that look built for the long haul and the ones still trying to prove they belong. Indiana stayed steady at No.
1, Ohio State answered its setback with a win, Oregon made a real push upward, and Penn State continued to look every bit like a contender. USC, meanwhile, took a hit after letting Rutgers stay in the fight.
At the top, Indiana remains the standard. The Hoosiers are 3-0, and Curt Cignetti has them playing complete football.
For now, they sit where they belong until someone proves otherwise. Ohio State is right behind them at No. 2 after getting its bounce-back win, with Jeremiah Smith making history in the process.
Even after the loss that stung so badly, the Buckeyes still belong in the conversation among the best teams in the country.
Oregon climbed into the No. 3 spot after a statement week and heads into its matchup with USC carrying momentum. That game now feels even more important for the Trojans, who have the conference’s best record at 4-0 but not the look of the league’s best team. USC dropped to No. 5 because Rutgers was able to hang around, and that’s the kind of result that keeps Lincoln Riley’s team from being taken seriously just yet.
Penn State sits at No. 4 after another strong start, and the Nittany Lions have opened the season looking like a real Big Ten threat. The expectation is that they stay near the top when it’s all said and done.
Just behind USC, UCLA checks in at No. 6 after continuing to look far better than last year’s disappointment. Bob Chesney has the Bruins playing at a high level, and they won’t be an easy game for USC.
Michigan lands at No. 7, with a roster that clearly has talent and a high ceiling, even if the weekly question is which Bryce Underwood shows up. Iowa follows at No. 8, doing what Iowa does: the defense is suffocating, and the run game keeps rolling. Washington comes in at No. 9 after its offense finally matched last season’s standard, and Demond Williams is the key if that level holds.
Wisconsin rounds out the top 10. Outside of the loss to Notre Dame, there’s a lot to like about this team.
The defense is elite, the offense is coming along, and USC could have trouble if it has to deal with the Badgers on the road. Illinois sits at No. 11 after a solid week, though the Big Ten schedule is about to test them hard, with Ohio State next.
Minnesota is No. 12 after a big bounce-back win, but the road ahead looks like it could turn promising into frustrating.
Nebraska is up at No. 13 after another commanding win, though there’s still skepticism about how far Matt Rhule’s team can go in conference play. Northwestern lands at No. 14 and keeps looking like a pesky group that can bother a top Big Ten team.
Maryland is No. 15, and even with an elite quarterback, the ceiling feels limited under Mike Locksley. Michigan State checks in at No. 16 after hanging around against Notre Dame, but the offense remains too thin to compete with the league’s best.
Purdue is No. 17, showing enough offensively to stay interesting but not enough defensively to escape the bottom of the standings. Rutgers sits last at No.
- The Scarlet Knights made life uncomfortable for USC, but for much of the game they still looked like the worst team in the Big Ten.
In Other News...
USC Now Faces A Different Oregon Offense Than Expected
Oregons passing game took an unexpected turn before its meeting with Portland State, when junior wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan broke his foot in warmups and was ruled out indefinitely. The injury forced the Ducks to adjust on the fly, and freshman Messiah Hampton filled some of the opening with 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns, giving Oregon a different look than the one USC likely spent part of the week preparing for.
The matchup now brings another wrinkle for the Trojans, because Oregon is also expected to have tight ends Kendre Harrison and Jamari Johnson available for the upcoming game. With McClellan sidelined and Hampton suddenly in a bigger role, USC has to account for an offense that is already shifting in real time, and the Ducks may keep leaning on personnel groupings and targets that werent central to the original scouting report. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Oregon Week With A Secondary Problem Fans Feared
USCs secondary is suddenly a point of concern as the Trojans turn the page from their win over Rutgers and into a far bigger test against Oregon. Alex Graham and Jontez Williams both picked up injuries in that game, and Lincoln Riley acknowledged after the fact that each is dealing with an issue while the staff waits to see how they respond in the days ahead.
The timing is less than ideal, given how much the matchup with Oregon asks of a defense on the back end. USC is already sorting through replacement options and monitoring both players closely, with the hope that neither absence becomes a longer-term problem. For now, though, it leaves the Trojans heading into the week with one of the concerns fans were bracing for. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Added Pressure To Oregon In The Title Race
Oregon answered its loss to Oklahoma State the only way it could, burying Portland State in a record-setting 84-0 rout that looked more like a stress reliever than a tune-up. Even so, the Ducks did not fully repair the damage in the eyes of the oddsmakers, with multiple sportsbooks trimming their national championship odds as other contenders, including Ole Miss, kept stacking results that reshaped the early title picture.
For USC, the timing matters. The Trojans are set to see Oregon in Week 4, and that matchup now carries a little extra weight as the Ducks try to climb back in the College Football Playoff conversation. A win over a team still trying to steady its title hopes would give USC its own boost in the national discussion, while Oregon will be aiming to show the kind of response that sportsbooks and voters tend to notice. [Read more 🡒]