Big Ten power rankings after Week 3: Oregon finally gets rolling

The top of the Big Ten wasn’t very busy in Week 3. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 10 Penn State, and No. 11 USC were all on bye weeks after a 2-0 start. However, No. 9 Oregon still managed to make a case for some movement at the top of the Big Ten conference power rankings. 

After betraying Oregon State and leaving for the Big Ten, the Ducks went back into Corvallis and made things even worse for the Beavers. Oregon started 2-0, but with narrow wins over Idaho and Boise State, but head coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein evidently found solutions for the team’s underwhelming offense. 

Sixth-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel had his best performance as a Duck in his team’s 49-14 win over Oregon State, going 20/24 for 291 yards and two touchdowns with a 54-yard touchdown run. I won’t overreact and catapult the Ducks back to the top of the Big Ten power rankings, but this is a team I believed could win the national championship coming into the year and this win is starting to wash away early-season concerns. 

While the Nittany Lions were on a bye, Penn State’s reputation still took a hit in Week 3 with West Virginia’s 38-34 loss to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. Now, the Mountaineers are 1-2, Penn State’s win looks much less impressive, and a close game with Bowling Green could be more indicative of how good James Franklin’s team is in 2024. 

Elsewhere in the conference, Michigan struggled with Arkansas State with starting quarterback Davis Warren throwing three interceptions on 14 passes. The Wolverines ran the ball well enough to win, and now Sherrone Moore is leaning even more heavily into that identity, announcing on Monday that run-first quarterback Alex Orji is taking over his offense. 

Michigan opens Big Ten play in Week 4, hosting USC at the Big House, so for now the maize and blue will stay put at No. 5 in my power rankings, but if the Trojans embarrass the Wolverines the way Texas did, it could be time for a free fall. 

At least now, after Week 3, Michigan isn’t the only Big Ten team that’s taken a beating from the SEC on FOX Big Noon Kickoff. Wisconsin lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke early in a 42-10 rout and it’s becoming more and more likely that Luke Fickell isn’t going to turn things around in Madison. 

The only Big Ten matchup of the week took place at the Rose Bowl, and Indiana rolled to a 42-13 win which elevates Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers three spots to No. 9.