Big Ten Week 3: Indiana Stays on Top as League Play Heats Up

Week 3 went mostly to form across the Big Ten, but wins by Ohio State, Iowa and UCLA still shook up the power rankings heading into conference season.

A quiet Week 3 around the Big Ten produced mostly expected results, and Indiana (3-0) held the top spot in the latest power rankings after a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky. The Hoosiers open conference play Friday, Sept. 25, at home against Northwestern (2-0).

Ohio State (2-1) moved up to No. 2 following a 59-3 rout of Kent State, with three different Buckeyes catching touchdown passes, none of them star receiver Jeremiah Smith. Iowa (3-0) climbed to No. 3 after a 55-0 shutout of Northern Iowa, a game in which three Hawkeyes running backs topped 100 yards, and travels to Michigan on Sept. 26.

USC (4-1 in the rankings at No. 4, 4-0 overall) slipped two spots despite a 42-35 win over Rutgers, who piled up 460 yards of offense against the Trojans. USC hosts Oregon (2-1) on Sept. 26 in the week's marquee matchup in Los Angeles. UCLA continued its rise to No. 9 after beating Purdue 52-38, making the Bruins the only Big Ten team with multiple Power Four wins so far.

Nebraska dropped from No. 8 to No. 10 even after a 34-7 win over North Dakota, passed by teams behind it. The biggest mover near the bottom was Maryland, which fell from No. 11 to No. 13 after a 35-26 loss to Virginia Tech. Rutgers stayed at No. 18 at 0-3 despite the close loss to USC and hosts Howard on Friday, Sept. 25.