Week 2 of the Big Ten football season is in the books, and that means that teams around the conference either got to bounce back from rough opening weeks, or build on momentum created from huge wins in Week 1.
For Michigan State, it was about building momentum, and it did just that.
The Spartans were able to overcome a halftime deficit to beat Boston College in double overtime, 42-40, in one of the best games of Week 2. Aidan Chiles pitched a near-perfect game, and the Spartans were able to overcome lackluster defense to win.
So where does that put Michigan State in our Week 3 Big Ten football power rankings?
18. UCLA (0-2)
Last week: L 30-23 at UNLV
Last rank: 17
This was a pretty easy pick. UCLA is the only team in the Big Ten without a win so far, and they've given up over 70 combined points to UNLV and Utah in the first two weeks. This team looks like a disaster so far.
17. Northwestern (1-1)
Last week: W 42-7 vs. Western Illinois
Last rank: 18
Northwestern bounced back from one of the worst Week 1 performances in the Big Ten to beat FCS foe Western Illinois 42-7 in a much-needed confidence-boosting matchup. Preston Stone looked much better against the Leathernecks than he did against Tulane in the opener.
16. Purdue (2-0)
Last week: W 34-17 vs. Southern Illinois
Last rank: 15
I did drop Purdue one spot this week for its lackluster performance against Southern Illinois, but that's only because the Boilermakers didn't have the prettiest performance against an FCS opponent. They allowed nearly 300 total yards and gave up 14 first-quarter points before running away with a win.
15. Rutgers (2-0)
Last week: W 45-17 vs. Miami (OH)
Last rank: 16
Wisconsin had a tough time putting up points against Miami (OH) in Week 1, but Rutgers didn't have that problem in Week 2. The Scarlet Knights out-scored Wisconsin's Week 1 output against the same opponent in just one half, before pulling away for a 45-17 win. Giving up 368 total yards to Miami (OH) is not ideal, however.
14. Maryland (2-0)
Last week: W 20-9 vs. Northern Illinois
Last rank: 12
Maryland's pass defense really held Northern Illinois in check as Josh Holst was held to just 4.1 yards per attempt and a 25.4 QBR. The offense, however, wasn't much better. Malik Washington had 254 yards through the air, but the run game was non-existent. A one-dimensional team won't go far in Big Ten play.
13. Minnesota (2-0)
Last week: W 66-0 vs. Northwestern State
Last rank: 14
It took 15 minutes for Minnesota to build a 35-0 lead on Saturday afternoon, and then another 15 minutes to build that lead to 59-0. However, they scored just seven points in the second half because, well, PJ Fleck does have a heart, after all. Defense stole the show with just 42 total yards surrendered -- not a typo.
12. Iowa (1-1)
Last week: L 16-13 at No. 16 Iowa
Last rank: 9
I'm starting to believe that Iowa just doesn't believe in the forward pass. OK, the Hawkeyes did lose to a ranked opponent on the road, which doesn't justify a massive drop, but they had just 83 passing yards on 24 attempts with an interception. Ugly football. Poor Iowa fans haven't seen an offense with a pulse in years.
11. Wisconsin (2-0)
Last week: W 42-10 vs. Middle Tennessee
Last rank: 13
Wisconsin fans were desperate to see any sort of offense after watching a 17-0 snoozefest against Miami (OH) in the opener. And they got it in the form of a 42-point output in the final three quarters against Middle Tennessee. Danny O'Neil was sharp, the run game was effective, and the run defense was dominant. The Badgers are now approaching top-10 status in the Big Ten power rankings.
10. Michigan (1-1)
Last week: L 24-13 at No. 18 Oklahoma
Last rank: 7
Million-dollar quarterback Bryce Underwood didn't exactly live up to that price tag in his first road game, completing just 9-of-24 passes for 142 yards and while Justice Haynes is likely a star in the backfield, he can't do it all himself. Oklahoma had over 400 yards of total offense in a convincing win over the Wolverines. Michigan drops to 10.
9. Washington (2-0)
Last week: W 70-10 vs. UC Davis
Last rank: 11
Jedd Fisch and Washington are off to a strong start to the 2025 season, and it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the Huskies crack the AP Top 25 sooner rather than later. Washington put up a whopping 628 total yards against UC Davis on Saturday. It feels like Kalen DeBoer is back.
8. Michigan State (2-0)
Last week: W 42-40 (2OT) vs. Boston College
Last rank: 10
Aidan Chiles was a star, Nick Marsh was a menace, and the defense took a step back against Boston College, but it didn't matter as the Spartans secured a huge confidence-boosting 42-40 double-overtime win over the Eagles. It's still too early to tell, but Michigan State might just exceed all expectations this season.
7. Indiana (2-0)
Last week: W 56-9 vs. Kennesaw State
Last rank: 8
Indiana dropped two spots in the AP Top 25 after a 13-point win over Old Dominion in Week 1, but the Hoosiers left no doubt in Week 2, dominating Kennesaw State, 56-9. This was a much better game for Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza, and the Hoosiers rushed for over 300 yards on 8.3 per attempt. They move up a spot this week in the power rankings, much like they did in the AP Top 25.
6. USC (2-0)
Last week: W 59-20 vs. Georgia Southern
Last rank: 6
USC was one of the biggest surprises in Week 1, and the Trojans followed that up with a solid blowout in Week 2 against Georgia Southern. It feels like Lincoln Riley might have something in junior quarterback Jayden Maiava.
5. Nebraska (2-0)
Last week: W 68-0 vs. Akron
Last rank: 5
A lot of people were curious how Nebraska would follow up a win over Cincinnati in the opener, and the Cornhuskers responded by dominating Akron 68-0. Dylan Raiola had himself a game, and the defense held Akron to just 175 total yards and zero points. Pure domination.
4. Illinois (2-0)
Last week: W 45-19 at Duke
Last rank: 4
It took everything I had to not move Illinois up to the No. 2 or No. 3 spot in this week's power rankings and drop a team like Penn State to No. 4, but I have to realize that I can't overreact this early on. I do think Illinois is a really good football team and that 45-19 thrashing of Duke was impressive, but that Indiana game in two weeks is going to tell us a lot about the Illini.
3. Penn State (2-0)
Last week: W 34-0 vs. FIU
Last rank: 2
Is it insane to rank the No. 2 team in the country at No. 3 in this week's Big Ten power rankings? It might be, but after watching the team I jumped ahead of the Nittany Lions this week, it's clear that Penn State is off to a slower start to the season than the top two teams. I still think Penn State has the second-highest ceiling in the conference behind Ohio State, but I nearly fell asleep during the first half of the FIU game.
2. Oregon (2-0)
Last week: W 69-3 vs. Oklahoma State
Last rank: 3
Dante Moore and Oregon might be the biggest threat to Ohio State in the Big Ten right now. While the rest of the conference's best teams were beating up on Group of Five teams in Week 2, Oregon was busy beating Oklahoma State 69-3. This was one of the biggest blowouts of Mike Gundy's career, and it was never even close. The Ducks might be a problem once again.
1. Ohio State (2-0)
Last week: W 70-0 vs. Grambling
Last rank: 1
It was business as usual for Ohio State against Grambling in Week 2. After beating the No. 1 team in the nation in Week 1, Ohio State took care of Grambling by 70 points in Week 2. Julian Sayin completed 18-of-19 passes for over 300 yards and four touchdowns and Ohio State had over 600 total yards to Grambling's 166. The best team in the Big Ten resides in Columbus.