Big Ten Football Power Rankings (Week 3): Maryland, Rutgers in Top 7 of Conference
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Already, one-fourth of the 2023 college football season has been completed. Several Big Ten teams are just as good as we thought they would be, while others have severely disappointed through the first three weeks of the season.
Here are your Big Ten power rankings following each team's third game of 2023:
1. Michigan (3-0)
Week 3 Result: W, 31-6 vs Bowling Green
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Rutgers
This game was 7-6 deep into the second quarter, with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy showing his first signs of struggle during the 2023 season. The Wolverines eventually woke up and rolled easily over Bowling Green, and they still deserve the top spot as the two-time defending Big Ten champs. However, Week 3 was the first sign of weakness we've seen from Ann Arbor in quite a bit.
2. Ohio State (3-0, 1-0 B1G)
Week 3 Result: W, 63-10 vs Western Kentucky
Week 4 Matchup: @ Notre Dame
At long last, Ohio State has beaten a team by a margin acceptable to its fanbase. Western Kentucky was a nuisance early, but soon proved no match for the Buckeyes, who ripped off 49 straight points to close the game. The first two weeks against Indiana and Youngstown State were shaky enough that Ohio State still can't claim the top spot in the conference, but a win over Notre Dame on the road could change that quickly.
3. Penn State (3-0, 1-0 B1G)
Week 3 Result: W, 30-13 @ Illinois
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Iowa
Penn State's 30-13 win was about as ugly as a three-score victory can be, and it will only get more gruesome in Week 4 when Iowa arrives in State College.
A dominant win over one of the conference's best teams could easily vault James Franklin and the Nittany Lions up over Ohio State once more. But for now, Penn State is back in its usual spot as the third team in the Big Ten.
4. Iowa (3-0)
Week 3 Result: W, 41-10 vs Western Michigan
Week 4 Matchup: @ Penn State
More people should be talking about just how much better Iowa looks than every team in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes are the only team in the division without a loss, and their defense looks unbreakable as always. Coach Kirk Ferentz and his team are undoubtedly underdogs entering the Week 4 matchup vs Penn State, but anyone who thinks Iowa has no shot in the game is sorely mistaken.
5. Maryland (3-0)
Week 3 Result: W, 42-14 vs Virginia
Week 4 Matchup: @ Michigan State
Maryland has a weird penchant for trailing lesser teams 14-0 to start each game, but nevertheless, the Terrapins are 3-0 and have a mighty impressive offense. Given Michigan State's passing defense looked horrendous yet again in Week 3, quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa should be expected to light it up in East Lansing next Saturday. Maryland seems well on its way to the 8-4 or even 9-3 regular season record that many projected for it.
6. Wisconsin (2-1)
Week 3 Result: W, 35-14 vs Georgia Southern
Week 4 Matchup: @ Purdue
This was up there with the Texas-Wyoming as a game where the final score tells a lie. Wisconsin was tied with Georgia Southern 7-7 at half before pulling away in the second. The offensive coordinator that Luke Fickell brought in — Phil Longo — continues to rely more on quarterback Tanner Mordecai than Braelon Allen and the trusted running game of the Badgers, which has not worked great as of yet.
7. Rutgers (3-0, 1-0 B1G)
Week 3 Result: W, 35-16 vs Virginia Tech
Week 4 Matchup: @ Michigan
It's very possible that Rutgers is still bad. The Scarlet Knights are very bad at passing the ball, with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt having completed just 17-of-37 passes for 244 yards over the past two weeks. And yet, Greg Schiano and his team are 3-0, beat an ACC team by three scores and have undoubtedly looked better than many of their Big Ten counterparts.
There's a very real chance Michigan beats Rutgers by 40 next Saturday, but for now, that team deserves to be ranked in the top half of the conference for taking care of business through three weeks of the season.
8. Illinois (1-2, 0-1 B1G)
Week 3 Result: L, 13-30 vs Penn State
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Florida Atlantic
By far the "best" team in the Big Ten with a losing record right now, mainly because the Illini have had a brutally tough schedule to start the season. Things began with a season opener against the defending MAC champions, and it only got more difficult from there, as Illinois went on the road and lost to a quality Kansas team before hosting a top ten team in the country in Week 3.
Defensive linemen Jer'Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph did all they could to make this Penn State quarterback Drew Allar's day miserable, but four interceptions from Luke Altmyer ultimately sunk Bret Bielema's team. This is still not a horrible Illinois team, and it should look much better in the coming weeks as the schedule lightens up.
9. Minnesota (2-1, 1-0 B1G)
Week 3 Result: L, @ North Carolina 13-31
Week 4 Matchup: @ Northwestern
He was nothing spectacular, but I'm confident that P.J. Fleck and Minnesota miss longtime quarterback Tanner Morgan dearly right now. His successor, Athan Kaliakmanis, has been brutal through the first three weeks of the season. He's completed just 45-of-88 passes for only 446 yards, and thrown one touchdown to three interceptions.
Minnesota has decent skill position talent, and its defense has its moments, but with a passing game this stagnant, the Gophers could be in for a rough, rough season.
10. Indiana (1-2, 0-1 B1G)
Week 3 Result: L, 14-21 vs Louisville
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Akron
Yes, Indiana has lost more games than it's won, and the first half against Louisville was dreadful. But with a rising star at quarterback in Tayven Jackson, two of the conference's more dangerous skill position players in Jaylin Lucas and Cam Camper and a hard-hitting defense, IU has shown more than the four teams below it on this list. The promising signs need to start turning into wins, but Indiana looks like a much improved team in 2023.
11. Michigan State (2-1)
Week 3 Result: L, 7-41 vs Washington
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Maryland
A brief glance at Washington quarterback (and former Indiana quarterback) Michael Penix Jr.s first half stats should explain why Michigan State fell below IU in the power rankings.
Penix Jr. is at worst one of the five best quarterbacks in college football right now. Even then, you can't get shredded that badly at home in the first half. The Spartans have zero defense and are likely going to get destroyed by Maryland in Week 4.
12. Purdue (1-2)
Week 3 Result: L, 20-35 vs Syracuse
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Wisconsin
Purdue might just be a straight up bad football team this year. Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader ran for 195 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. A quarterback should never be that productive on the ground against your defense unless his name is Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson.
The Boilermakers have a Friday night matchup with Wisconsin, and even though the Badgers have struggled through three weeks, it's hard to imagine that Purdue won't be 1-3 after that game.
13. Northwestern (1-2, 0-1 B1G)
Week 3 Result: L, 14-38 @ Duke
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Minnesota
The glimmer of hope Northwestern gave its fanbase with the 38-7 rout of UTEP was quickly extinguished. Duke and quarterback Riley Leonard has no issues breezing through the Wildcats' defense, while Ben Bryant's passing line of 17-for-34 for 123 yards left much to be desired.
Fortunately for coach David Braun and Northwestern, it will be hard for that Minnesota offense to score 38 points on anyone this season, so Week 4 should go better for the 'Cats.
14. Nebraska (1-2, 0-1 B1G)
Week 3 Result: W, 35-11 vs Northern Illinois
Week 4 Matchup: Vs Louisiana Tech
Congratulations to coach Matt Rhule and Nebraska on no longer being the only Big Ten football team without a win. Blowing out Northern Illinois isn't enough to move the Cornhuskers out of the bottom spot in the rankings, but it's a step in the right direction.
Related Stories on Big Ten Football:
- PENIX LIGHTS UP MICHIGAN STATE: The former Indiana quarterback had one of the best first halves in college football history on Saturday, as Washington blew out Michigan State 41-7 in East Lansing. CLICK HERE
- MARYLAND 42, VIRGINIA 14: Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and the Maryland Terrapins overcame another slow start to eventually blowout their ACC visitors en route to a 3-0 start to the 2023 season. CLICK HERE
- WOULD B1G EVER KICK A TEAM OUT OF CONFERENCE: With Stanford, Cal and SMU joining the ACC in 2024, conference realignment has truly gotten out of hand. With all the movement up into new conferences coming, we ask the question — would the Big Ten ever forcibly remove a team from its own conference? CLICK HERE