2025 Week 3 Big Ten Power Rankings: Which Dark Horse is Poised to Shake Up the Conference?

Well, if Week 2 of Big Ten football taught us anything, it’s that chaos is the only constant in college gridiron glory. Michigan’s surprising stumble against Oklahoma shook the landscape quite a bit, while Michigan State, Oregon, and Illinois strutted their stuff with impressive wins over Power Four teams—giving us a delicious recipe for fresh rankings drama. As the dust settles and teams gear up for yet another weekend packed with high-stakes action, I’m here to walk you through the latest twists and turns in the Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings. Buckle up — it’s quite the ride! LEARN MORE

Numerous Big Ten teams were involved in important games in Week 2, which means that there is some movement in our Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings. The most notable result of the weekend was Michigan’s loss against Oklahoma. On the other side of things, Michigan State, Oregon and Illinois all picked up big wins over Power Four opponents. More big games are on the slate in Week 3, but before we get there, let’s take a look at the updated power rankings:

1. Ohio State (-)

Ohio State still claims to the top spot in our Big Ten Power Rankings. The Buckeyes easily cruised to a 70-0 win over Grambling, and they take on Ohio this week to close out the non-conference slate.

2. Oregon (+1)

We have Oregon at No. 2 this week after an impressive win against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys aren’t the best Power Four team, but the Ducks still scored 69 points against them. That’s not an easy thing to do.

3. Penn State (-1)

Penn State is below Oregon as both teams are 2-0 against lesser opponents, but the Ducks have looked more impressive. Still, the Nittany Lions have a great team and will be a contender all year long.

4. Illinois (-)

Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) runs during the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. — © Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Illinois looked outstanding in the second half on Saturday in a win against Duke. The Fighting Illini look like a legit threat in the Big Ten.

5. USC (+1)

USC continues to look good offensively early on this season, but the Trojans haven’t been tested yet. Still, this is an encouraging start for Lincoln Riley’s squad.

6. Michigan (-1)

Michigan drops a spot after losing to Oklahoma on the road. The Wolverines clearly have a lot of talent, but the offensive line needs to be much better, and they need to let Bryce Underwood throw the football more.

7. Indiana (+1)

Indiana looked much better in Week 2 after a sloppy win over Old Dominion to start the year. The Hoosiers are starting to look like the team we expected them to be.

8. Washington (+1)

Coming in at No. 8 in our Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings is Washington. The Huskies have taken care of business so far, but the schedule is going to get tricky soon.

9. Nebraska (+1)

Nebraska was on cruise control on Saturday against Akron, improving to 2-0 on the year. The Cornhuskers will be 3-0 when they welcome Michigan to town in a couple of weeks, barring a major upset against Houston Christian.

10. Iowa (-3)

Iowa drops a few spots after losing on the road against Iowa State. It wasn’t a bad loss, but the Hawkeyes have major offensive problems once again.

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11. Michigan State (-)

Michigan State survived its first tough test of the season against Boston College in overtime. The Spartans will take a 3-0 record to LA in a couple of weeks to take on USC, assuming they handle business against Youngstown State.

12. Wisconsin (+1)

No. 12-15 in our Big Ten Power Rankings are essentially a tie. We’ve got Wisconsin at 12 right now, but these numbers will likely change a lot in the coming weeks as we learn more about each team.

13. Maryland (-1)

The next team in this bunch is Maryland, who is 2-0 after a win against Northern Illinois. The schedule will get much more difficult for the Terrapins soon.

14. Minnesota (+1)

Minnesota didn’t end up playing a full game on Saturday, but the Golden Gophers still put up 66 points. Minnesota took down Northwestern State, and the teams agreed to end the game with over five minutes remaining.

15. Rutgers (-1)

Rutgers struggled a bit in Week 1 against Ohio, but the Scarlet Knights looked better against Miami Ohio. Rutgers is 2-0.

16. Northwestern (+1)

Northwestern picked up its first win of the season on Friday night against Western Illinois. The Wildcats host Oregon this week, and it’s going to be a major challenge.

17. Purdue (+1)

Purdue is no longer the bottom team in our Big Ten Power Rankings after picking up a win against Southern Illinois. The jump isn’t a reflection of that game, however, but is really because of UCLA’s struggle.