Oregon Ducks and Penn State See Movement In New Big Ten Power Rankings

The Oregon Ducks opened up Big Ten conference play with a 34-14 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on the road. Where do the Ducks now rank in the Big Ten power rankings?

Ducks At No. 2 in Big Ten Power Rankings

Oregon Ducks Big Ten Football Power Rankings Penn State Nittany Lions Dan Lanning Ohio State Buckeyes Quarterback Dante Moore — Oregon quarterback Dante Moore walks across the field to shake hands with Oklahoma State players after the win at Autzen. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With their win at Northwestern, Oregon has moved to the No. 2 in this week’s Big Ten power rankings. Here is the complete top 10.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be the No. 1 team in the Big Ten power rankings until they get knocked off or have a real scare against an inferior opponent.

2. Oregon Ducks (3-0)

Oregon’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat with their new-look offense led by quarterback Dante Moore. The Ducks have averaged 52 points per game through three games and have beaten their opponents by a combined 132 points.

This is the best start to an Oregon season since 2010, when they went 12-0 and to the National Championship game.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)

Penn State came into the 2025 season with big expectations. The only reason for them dropping down to No. 3 is they have not yet played a team in a power conference. They enter a bye week before their showdown with the Oregon Ducks in late September.

4. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0)

Illinois is 3-0 after three blowout wins, the most impressive being on the road against the Duke Blue Devils. They have their first Big Ten test of the season when they take on the Indiana Hoosiers this week.

5. USC Trojans (3-0)

USC is unbeaten after their 33-17 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. After a three hour weather delay, the Trojans weren’t phased in the wire to wire victory. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been steady and the defense has stepped up when they have needed it.

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6. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0)

Nebraska won their opening game against Cincinnati and has taken care of business against a pair of lesser opponents since. The country will find out how for real the Cornhuskers are when they host Michigan this week.

7. Michigan Wolverines (2-1)

Michigan looked bad in their loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. They hope that their win against Central Michigan is enough of a get right game for them to go on the road and beat Nebraska. Big game upcoming for freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.

8. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)

This still could be too low for Indiana, but they have played three FCS teams to this point. They will without a doubt shoot up the rankings if they can beat Illinois in their next game.

9. Washington Huskies (2-0)

It’s hard to get a real feel for Washington after their first two games against Colorado State and UC Davis. Next, they go on the road to face in-state rival Washington State, who has been reeling. It may take some more time to know if the Huskies are a threat to compete at the top of the Big Ten this season.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1)

Even with their loss to Iowa State, the Hawkeyes are still in the top 10. Let’s not punish them too much for losing a road rivalry game to a team that is ranked No. 12 in the country.