The third week of the 2025 Big Ten football season is in the books, and we saw some conference matchups for the first time this year.
While Michigan State is preparing for its first Big Ten game of the season in Week 4, four teams played their first conference games of 2025 in Week 3. Oregon took down Northwestern on the road and USC beat Purdue in West Lafayette. Two West Coast teams took care of business on the road.
Michigan State, on the other hand, didn't have its best defensive performance against Youngstown State as there seem to be more questions than answers after Week 3.
Where do the Spartans sit in the Week 4 Big Ten power rankings?
18. UCLA (0-3)
Last week: L 35-10 vs. New Mexico
Last rank: 18
The real question a week ago was: is UCLA really the worst team in the Big Ten? After a Friday night letdown against New Mexico, the answer is a very obvious and emphatic "yes". DeShaun Foster has been fired, Nico Iamaleava might be on his way out the door, and the program is a mess.
17. Northwestern (1-2, 0-1)
Last week: L 34-14 vs. No. 4 Oregon
Last rank: 17
It's hard to knock a team like Northwestern for losing to Oregon because, well, the Wildcats never really stood a chance. They did show some fight in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats are looking like the second-worst teams in the conference this year.
16. Purdue (2-1, 0-1)
Last week: L 33-17 vs. USC
Last rank: 16
Battling Northwestern for that spot as the second-worst team in the Big Ten is Purdue. The Boilermakers were hoping to pick up one of those classic home upsets over a heavy favorite on Saturday night, but USC won comfortably. The Boilermakers are showing some signs of life, but there's a good chance they don't win another game until late-October.
15. Minnesota (2-1)
Last week: L 27-14 at Cal
Last rank: 13
I'm having a really tough time figuring out what kind of team Minnesota is. The Gophers look like they could be solid, but their strong start to the season was halted by a 27-14 defeat at the hands of Cal on Saturday night. The offense just didn't show up, and the pass defense really didn't either.
14. Rutgers (3-0)
Last week: W 60-10 vs. Norfolk State
Last rank: 15
Jumping a spot thanks to the Minnesota loss to Cal is Rutgers. Greg Schiano's team took care of FCS foe Norfolk State in a way that Michigan State fans are jealous of, 60-10. Athan Kaliakmanis continued his strong start to the season, and the Scarlet Knights are just trying to prove that their 3-0 start isn't a mirage -- Iowa comes to town on Friday night to help either prove or disprove that notion.
13. Maryland (3-0)
Last week: W 44-17 vs. Towson
Last rank: 14
There aren't many better teams in the Big Ten in the month of September than Maryland. Over the years, we've seen the Terrapins wins some huge games in September only to fizzle out in October and November. This year feels like that once again. The Terrapins beat Towson handily, but their next three games (at Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska) are going to tell us a lot about them.
12. Wisconsin (2-1)
Last week: L 38-14 at No. 19 Alabama
Last rank: 11
It's hard to penalize a team for losing by double-digits at Alabama, so I didn't. Wisconsin only drops a spot for that loss, although it was fairly obvious that the Badgers were nowhere near the level of Alabama -- even a "disappointing" Alabama team like this year's. Right now, Wisconsin's offense is a disaster.
11. Iowa (2-1)
Last week: W 47-4 vs. UMass
Last rank: 12
Iowa followed up an offense-less performance against Iowa State with a 47-point outburst aganst UMass in Week 3. The Hawkeyes had the game wrapped up after the first quarter with a 20-0 lead, and all they did frm that point on was pad some stats. Don't be fooled, however, this team is going to be reliant on its defense all season long.
10. Washington (2-0)
Last week: BYE
Last rank: 9
Washington had the week off so the Huskies won't see a ton of movement, but I moved Michigan ahead of them after the Wolverines' blowout win over Central Michigan.
9. Michigan State (3-0)
Last week: W 41-24 vs. Youngstown State
Last rank: 8
It pained me to drop Michigan State a spot for winning, but the Youngstown State performance was one of the most disappointing that I can remember defensively. Giving up 24 points and nearly 350 total yards to the Penguins was a letdown. Fortunately, Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh continue to be bright spots for this team. I still think the rebuild is on track, but this was a small step back.
8. Michigan (2-1)
Last week: W 63-3 vs. Central Michigan
Last rank: 10
Yes, I jumped Michigan two spots this week because of a dominant win over Central Michigan, and no, it's not because I was impressed by a blowout of the Chippewas, but rather less impressed by the Spartans. Michigan got a nice performance from Bryce Underwood and ran right through Central while Michigan State struggled with Youngstown State.
7. Nebraska (3-0)
Last week: W 59-7 vs. Houston Christian
Last rank: 5
Why did I drop Nebraska two spots despite winning 59-7 against Houston Christian? Well, I don't believe FCS wins help anyone, but I do believe that I severely under-ranked two teams that I had right behind the Cornhuskers. Not trying to penalize Nebraska, but I've been more impressed with the teams I had jumping the Cornhuskers. Oh, and Dylan Raiola is very good.
6. Indiana (3-0)
Last week: W 73-0 vs. Indiana State
Last rank: 7
Yes, I had Indiana too low after a shaky season-opening win over Old Dominion, but they have since figured it out. The Hoosiers beat Indiana State 73-0 and Fernando Mendoza is starting to look like the quarterback they were hoping would come in and seamlessly replace Kurtis Rourke. He had five touchdown passes and just one incompletion.
5. USC (3-0, 1-0)
Last week: W 33-17 at Purdue
Last rank: 6
USC continues to defy the odds and prove doubters wrong, going to play the Spoilermakers in Week 3, picking up a comfortable 33-17 win that was never in doubt. The Trojans have the No. 1 total offense in college football coupled with the No. 2 scoring offense. That's at least good for top five in the Big Ten right now.
4. Illinois (3-0)
Last week: W 38-0 vs. Western Michigan
Last rank: 4
It feels like only a matter of time before Illinois is sliding into that top-three range in the Big Ten power rankings, but for now, the Illini are No. 4 after beating potential MAC bottom-dweller Western Michigan. Illinois found out what the Spartans learned in Week 1: Western's offense is bad.
3. Penn State (3-0)
Last week: W 52-6 vs. Villanova
Last rank: 3
The No. 2 team in the nation is third in the Big Ten power rankings for a second straight week. That's blasphemous, right? Well, if you've watched Penn State compared to the No. 2 team in my Big Ten power rankings through three weeks, you'd agree. Nice win over Villanova, I guess.
2. Oregon (3-0, 1-0)
Last week: W 34-14 at Northwestern
Last rank: 2
Playing at Northwestern's beautifully-scenic temporary stadium, Oregon faced the dreaded West Coast-to-Midwest trip that usually plagues former Pac-12 teams. Fortunately, the Ducks were able to dominate, 34-14, and all of Northwestern's points came late in the fourth quarter with the game already decided. Dante Moore may be a Heisman candidate.
1. Ohio State (3-0)
Last week: W 37-9 vs. Ohio
Last rank: 1
For those who were looking for a dominant Ohio State win over Ohio in Week 3, there was a little bit of a wait. The Buckeyes were only up 13-3 at the half against the in-state MAC foe, but they ran away in the second half to win by four touchdowns. Not exactly the most convincing win for the No. 1 team in the country, but the Buckeyes are gaining momentum.