B1G Power Rankings following Week 3

The good, the bad and the ugly. The B1G had a little of each in Week 3.

The good? The B1G East and its 6 undefeated teams entering conference play. See also Penn State’s road whooping of SEC foe Auburn.

The bad? Michigan State’s defense, particularly the passing defense that surrendered nearly 400 yards to Michael Penix Jr. and Washington.

The ugly? Nebraska and Northwestern lost in completely different ways but were equally ugly for different reasons.

Without further ado, here are the Saturday Tradition B1G Power Rankings after Week 3:

14. Nebraska (1-3)

Last week: vs. Oklahoma, L 49-14

Can things get worse after the firing of Scott Frost? Let’s face it, this is probably the end result Nebraska was always looking at for this game in 2022. Now, Mickey Joseph gets a bye week to regroup and see if he can make an impact on the program for the rest of the season.

Up next: BYE

13. Northwestern (1-2)

Last week: vs. Southern Illinois L 31-24

Week 0 in Dublin feels so very, very far away for Northwestern. The Wildcats are thanking their lucky stars right now because that win over Nebraska is the only thing between Northwestern and the B1G’s basement. Ryan Hilinski’s hot start to the season evaporated with a 2-interception outing against SIU, and Evan Hull had another fumble. Not great at all.

Up next: vs. Miami (OH)

12. Illinois (2-1)

Last Week: BYE

Up next: vs. Chattanooga

11. Indiana (3-0)

Last Week: vs. Western Kentucky, W 33-30 (OT)

The Hoosiers are 3-0. That would be hard to guess if you’ve watched all 3 games this season, but Indiana is halfway to bowl eligibility. That does not make a bowl a given with some upsets still needed to make that happen. Nevertheless, Tom Allen’s squad should enjoy this 3-0 start while it lasts. It’s well-earned after the 2-10 mark a year ago.

Up next: at Cincinnati

10. Rutgers (3-0)

Last week: vs. Temple, W 16-14

Speaking of 3-0 teams, the Scarlet Knights came up with a low-scoring, grind-it-out road win to reach the mark. The same comments on Indiana apply here. Rutgers is not a given to reach 6 wins and a bowl, but the program needed these 3 wins to have a realistic shot. Anything can happen after the hot start to the year.

Up next: vs. Iowa

9. Purdue (1-2)

Last week: at Syracuse, L 32-29

Is 2022 Purdue destined to be this season’s 2021 Nebraska? Okay, that seems a bit overdramatic, but the Boilermakers are 0-2 in one-possession games this season while losing both games in the final minute of action. The defense has also given up 30+ points in each loss.

Up next: vs. FAU

8. Maryland (3-0)

Last week: vs. SMU W 34-27

Maryland joins the group of B1G East undefeated teams with a gritty win over SMU. Roman Hemby continued his breakout season with 151 rushing yards while Taulia Tagovailoa gave Maryland the lead for good with 7:30 to play. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Terps proved they can be clutch late.

Up next: at Michigan

7. Iowa (2-1)

Last week: vs. Nevada, W 27-0

Iowa’s offense finally got rolling with a pair of touchdowns in the first half. So of course mother nature stepped in and put a stop to all the fun in Iowa City. The good news is Iowa’s offense was functional and the rest of the team was up to par before the storms hit. We’ll see how the Hawkeyes look with the opening of B1G play.

Up next: at Rutgers

6. Wisconsin (2-1)

Last week: vs. New Mexico State, W 66-7

Wisconsin rebounded nicely from the loss to Washington State with a thrashing of Jerry Kill’s Aggies. The 66 points are the most in quite some time for the Badgers and are the most of the Paul Chryst era in Madison. Now, it’s time to get some real perspective on where the Badgers are at with a trip to Columbus.

Up next: at Ohio State

5. Michigan State (2-1)

Last week: at Washington, L 39-28

The Spartans looked good at times in Seattle, but the same old issues of 2021 resurfaced. Namely, a passing defense that was shredded for nearly 400 yards by former B1G foe Michael Penix Jr. The game plan of Kalen DeBoer’s squad was impressive, but it’s nothing the Spartans won’t get from the competition in the B1G East. Can Mel Tucker’s defense regroup and rebound?

Up next: vs. Minnesota

4. Minnesota (3-0)

Last Week: vs. Colorado, W 49-7

Minnesota is essentially No. 4 on these power rankings by default as we really do not know much about the Gophers. 3-0 is nice, but the competition has been far from competent to this point. We’ll see how the Gophers shake out after a B1G-opening road trip to East Lansing in Week 4.

Up next: at Michigan State

3. Penn State (3-0)

Last week: at Auburn, W 41-12

Penn State is firmly entrenched as the No. 3 team in the conference after a vicious road thrashing of SEC foe Auburn. That trip to the southeast went better than expected with the Nittany Lions showing flashes in every facet of the game. Sean Clifford was effective, Nick Singleton was explosive and the defense was opportunistic. Penn State’s right where it wanted to be after 3 weeks with a tune-up game before B1G play resumes.

Up next: vs. Central Michigan

2. Michigan (3-0)

Last week: vs. UConn, W 59-0

The Wolverines looked good enough in JJ McCarthy’s second start at quarterback for Jim Harbaugh. And that’s good news with Harbaugh announcing after the game that Cade McNamara will miss some time. There’s still not a lot we truly know about Michigan, other than the fact the Wolverines have all the necessary pieces to challenge every team in the B1G East. Anything short of playing another “winner take all” matchup with Ohio State this season will be a letdown.

Up next: vs. Maryland

1. Ohio State (3-0)

Last week: vs. Toledo, W 77-21

Speaking of Ohio State, the Buckeyes racked up 11 touchdowns and 77 points in a blowout win over Toledo. CJ Stroud threw 5 touchdowns without an interception, and Marvin Harrsion Jr. and Emeka Egbuka were electric. An injury to TreVeyon Henderson is something to keep an eye on in a suddenly thin backfield, but the Buckeyes have everything in place to run through the B1G. That starts in Week 4 against Wisconsin.

Up next: vs. Wisconsin