Heading into week 3 of the college football season we still don't know how much each team will improve, but we have at least been able to get a taste of what most teams look like now. There has already been a lot of change in the AP Top 25 with multiple perceived top 10 teams taking a tumble or not performing well. Is it a reflection of what they truly are or just early season play? I believe the Big Ten is top heavy at the moment and very fat around the middle. That could change as the season progresses, who can break out of the middle? We will find out. Either way, here is where I think things line up right now.
#1. Ohio State is will be at the top until there is a reason for them not to be. They are stuffed with high level talent and have played that way thus far. They are also currently #3 in the AP Poll and the only Big Ten team to break up the SEC's stranglehold on the top 7 spots. This week: Bye
#2. USC has the best win by a Big Ten team at the moment with their 27-20 neutral site, week one victory over LSU of the SEC. Lincoln Riley's Trojans looked more than solid in winning a tough season-opening game. This week: Bye
This is where I'll draw my first line, so far. At the moment there is not another team that I see in the "upper echelon" of the conference. But there are several teams that could climb out of the middle of the Big Ten to potentially challenge for the #2 spot. As a matter of fact, I think you could throw a rope around the next 9 teams at the moment. There has not been enough games played yet to see enough separation.
#3. Nebraska wins a "Prime" game at home over Colorado and looked good doing it with a true freshman quarterback who already looks to be in mid-season form. The Huskers' defense was solid, literally knocking a few of Dion's players to the sideline, including Shilo Sanders, with a broken arm. I do not necessarily think that Nebraska is the third best team in the conference, but this is a weekly list and a good win is a good win. This will be a very interesting game come October 19th in Bloomington. This week: - 30.5 vs Northern Iowa
#4. Illinois gets a tremendous and surprising win over #19 Kansas to jump into the frey of the upper middle of the Big Ten. I was not expecting the showing that Bret Bielema's team put forth last Saturday and it only adds to the intrigue of this conference. This week: - 21 vs Central Michigan
#5. Penn State gets a break and one more game to prove to me that they still belong in the top 5. Tom Allen's defense was chasing Connor Bazelak and the Bowling Green offense for the entire first half, and was able to hold the Falcons at bay in the 2nd half, winning by a touchdown. This week bye
#6. Michigan State also provided a bit of a surprise by going on the road to beat a decent Maryland team. While I expected more from the Terrapins, Sparty rose up to snare an early conference win away from home to add more intrigue to this league. This week: - 40.5 vs Prairie View A&M
#7. Indiana has played a couple of cream puffs, but breaking a scoring record that stood for 123 years has to count for something. Putting up 700 yards of offense with 10 different players finding the end zone also shows variety. The Hoosiers defense has been stellar, except for brief moments. We will have a better understanding after Curt Cignetti's squad opens conference play. This week: -3.5 at UCLA
#8. Wisconsin has not exactly been impressive, but they are 2-0. We will see exactly what the Badgers are made of this week when former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer brings the Tide to Madison. Luke Fickell is in year two at the helm of the Badgers and this week will be a stern test at home as a 16 point dog. This week: +16 vs #4 Alabama
#9. Oregon has looked as little shaky at times struggling to beat two unranked opponents to start the season after flirting with making the CFB Playoffs last season. Another game like the first two will see the Ducks drop to the bottom of the middle of the pack. This week: -16.5 At Oregon State
#10 Washington has looked ok under new coach Jedd Fisch. The Huskies are 2-0 with a 35-3 win over Weber State and 30-9 over Eastern Washington. Not bad for a program that was decimated by the departure of the Kalen DeBoer staff and NFL skill players like Michael Penix, Jr., and Rome Odunze. The Huskies face a true test this week with a rivalry game, so it should tell us something. This week: -4.5 vs Washington State
#11 Michigan has been suspect to me from the get go. The Wolverines lost a ton of talent, coaches including the head man, and their chief sign stealer. Texas is a good team and the Longhorns went into the "Big House" and stampeded Sherrone Moore's 2024 edition of the Wolverines. The Blue and Maze have a chance to get things together with soft non-con game this week, but USC will follow that game and I can see last years national champion losing twice in 3 weeks in Ann Arbor. This week: -23 vs Arkansas State.
#12 Rutgers has used their first two non-con games well earning a 44-7 defeat of Howard and 49-17 over Akron. The Scarlet Knights did what they were supposed to do. Can Greg Schiano's team keep putting points on the board? We will have to wait to find out, but a trip to Virginia Tech next week should give us some clarity on that. This week: Bye
#13 Iowa Looked like they finally had the offense that has been missing in Iowa City with a season-opening 40-0 shellacking of Illinois State. Then last week the Hawkeyes only managed 19 points at Kinnick Stadium and gave up a late field goal to Iowa State to lose the game 20-19 along with having to turn over the CyHawk trophy to the Cyclones. This week: -21.5 vs Troy
#14 Minnesota should probably be 2-0, but a couple of untimely missed field goals in a week one home loss to North Carolina took care of that. The Golden Gophers followed that with a 48-0 blitzing of Rhode Island, but I didn't know the "fighting Archies" had a football team. Can PJ Fleck's team get the boat straitened out, or will they row in circles? This week: Bye
#15 Purdue has yet to give up a point this year -- they've only played one game -- after dispatching Indiana State 49-0 in their season opener two weeks ago. The Boilermakers get the pleasure of hosting a Notre Dame team out for vengeance this week after the Fighting Irish's loss to Northern Illinois a week ago. This week: +7.5 vs. Notre Dame
#16 Maryland lost at home last week to Michigan State. Not many saw that coming. It's not a good sign for the Terrapins. And now they have to go on the road for non-conference game, which is usually not a good thing. This week: - 1 at Virginia
#17. Northwestern has not started strong edging Miami (Ohio) 13-6 and then losing to Duke 26-20, both on the pitch in Evanston as the Wildcats wait for their new stadium to be built. There just wasn't much "pop" by Northwestern in their opening 2 games. They are off this week before hosting Eastern Illinois, who opened the season with a 45-0 loss to Illinois. I haven't seen much to make me think Northwestern will climb any higher than right here, it will probably depend on what Maryland does above them. This week: vs Eastern Illinois
#18. UCLA has played one game and looked like they belong here, so that is where I have them until proven otherwise. The Bruins have the least experienced head coach as DeShawn Foster has never been a college head coach, or even a coordinator. That matters because coaching matters. What also matters is the schedule that lies ahead for UCLA. The Bruins will play their first ever Big Ten game this week as a 2.5 home underdog to a quickly rising Indiana team. But that is followed by a non-con game vs LSU in Death Valley, then they resume their conference schedule where I personally do not see a win. As a matter of fact I can see UCLA going 2-10 with a 2nd win not coming until their final game against Fresno State, if then? This week: +2.5 vs Indiana
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