Big Ten Power Rankings: Spartans slip, Nittany Lions net impressive SEC road win

Another top Big Ten contender took a hit over the weekend, with No. 11 Michigan State falling on the road at Washington. That provided some movement in the top half of the Big Ten Power Rankings for Week 3.

Meanwhile, other contenders continued to establish themselves. League leaders Ohio State and Michigan provided convincing blowouts of cupcakes, while No. 22 Penn State made a statement with a road win at Auburn.

The middle third of the league remains in a state of flux, one that should get more clear answers with four Big Ten games on tap next week. Let’s dive into this week’s results.

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Today we update the Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 3 games.

2022 Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 3

1. Ohio State

No point in wasting a whole lot of ink on either the Buckeyes or the Wolverines this week. Quarterback CJ Stroud went 22-of-27 passing for 367 yards and five touchdowns without an interception in a 77-21 blowout of Toledo. Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. turned in a second-straight 100+ yard receiving outing with two touchdown catches. That’s five touchdowns for him in the last two weeks.

2. Michigan

Just as dominant as Ohio State, Michigan bowled over UConn in a 59-0 shutout. Running back Blake Corum tied the school record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with five in the contest. The Wolverines defense gave up only 110 yards total to the Huskies, while the Wolverines piled up 465 in a relatively balanced effort.

3. Penn State (+1)

James Franklin‘s Nittany Lions scored the most impressive win of the weekend, beating up on a Tigers program in turmoil. Auburn never really stood a chance against a dominant Penn State rushing attack. Freshman Nick Singleton had his second straight game rushing for 100+ yards with two touchdowns in the 41-12 win.

4. Minnesota (+1)

Minnesota blasted hapless Colorado 49-7 in a game that quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim both accounted for three touchdowns in. Morgan threw three touchdown passes on 11-of-16 passing for 157 yards (with an interception), while Ibrahim rushed for 202 yards and three scores on 23 carries.

5. Michigan State (-2)

The Spartans were unseated by the Huskies in a road loss that wasn’t as close as the final 39-28 score indicated. Washington shredded Michigan State’s pass defense to the tune of 397 yards as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 24-of-40 passing with four touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Spartans scored 14 in the fourth quarter to draw closer but it was far too little too late. Michigan State rushed for just 42 yards in the contest.

6. Wisconsin (+1)

Wisconsin buried winless New Mexico State 66-7 to earn a second win ahead of a road trip to face No. 3 Ohio State. Quarterback Graham Mertz threw for three touchdowns, running back Braelon Allen added three scores on the ground and running back Isaac Guerendo added two more touchdowns rushing. The Badgers piled up 595 yards of offense in the win.

7. Maryland (+1)

Like Week 1 against Buffalo, Maryland wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders but still managed to come up with a 34-27 win against a decent SMU squad. The Terrapins came up with a stop late in the fourth quarter deep in their own territory to win the game. But penalties (15 for 141 yards) and poor defense (the Terps allowed 520 yards of offense against the Mustangs) keep Maryland from moving any higher in the Big Ten Power Rankings in Week 3.

8. Indiana (+1)

Indiana was anything but convincing in a 33-30 overtime win over Western Kentucky that it looked like it could lose at any number of points during Saturday’s contest. But, hey, it’s 3-0 for Tom Allen‘s squad. The Hoosiers rallied late with a 17-point fourth quarter and eventually hung on to win in overtime. Road trips to Cincinnati and Nebraska over the next two weeks could prove tricky.

9. Illinois (+1)

Bret Bielema‘s team was off this week, getting a chance to regroup with a bye and a game against Chattanooga next week before traveling to Wisconsin on Oct. 1. The Fighting Illini are that frustrating road loss away at Indiana from being ranked a bit higher on this list.

10. Rutgers (+1)

Rutgers is winning games, but it’s hard to call this team anything but ugly right now. A 16-14 win over Temple on Saturday got the Scarlet Knights to 3-0, and you really have to tip your cap to Greg Schiano for the job he’s done squeezing everything he can out of his program right now. Rutgers managed just 201 total yards in the win. Quarterback play remains a huge issue, but another winnable game looms on the schedule as Iowa gets set to head to Rutgers in Week 4.

11. Purdue (-5)

The Boilermakers continue to be their own worst enemy late in games. A second straight winnable game ended in a loss due to late gaffes, this time after Purdue went ahead of Syracuse 29-25 with 51 seconds left in the game. A pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the go-ahead score and then a couple defensive penalties in the secondary that allowed for third-and-10 conversions killed Purdue as Syracuse capitalized for the winning score with seven seconds left in the game, taking it 32-29.

12. Iowa

The Hawkeyes finally put together a somewhat convincing win, beating Nevada 27-0 in a game that was halted three different times for lightning. Running back Kaleb Johnson rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Spencer Petras was serviceable, going 14-of-26 passing for 175 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Iowa hits the road for a game at Rutgers in Week 4.

13. Northwestern

Bad to worse for Northwestern. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski threw two interceptions, the Wildcats fumbled it away twice and previously winless Southern Illinois managed to upset Northwestern 31-24 as a result. That’s back-to-back one-score losses for Northwestern after a narrow Week 0 win over Nebraska in Ireland.

14. Nebraska

Any possible feel-good mojo from the firing of coach Scott Frost was erased pretty quickly by No. 6 Oklahoma. The Sooners raced out to a 35-7 halftime lead and waxed the Cornhuskers after a somewhat competitive first quarter. Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel broke the game open with a long touchdown run, and he finished with two touchdown passes as running back Eric Gray and the Sooners ran all over the Huskers to the tune of 312 yards on the ground in the 49-14 win.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 2 Big Ten Power Rankings here!