Well Maryland and Purdue got taken a bit back to reality this past week...and Iowa...so so close, but not.

As a reminder I rank the teams both 1-7 in their respective divisions, and then 1-14 overall in the Big Ten.

Here are my Week 3 Big Ten Football Power Rankings;

Big Ten East:

1. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State tried really really hard to lose to Iowa, but a late last minute drive led by Saquon Barkley ended when Trace McSorly found Juwan Johnson in the end zone as time expired to give the Nittany Lions a 21-19 victory. Their game this week should be a little less dramatic as Indiana comes to Happy Valley.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State had no problem with a very bad UNLV team. The 54-21 score wasn’t even that close. It might have just been a warmup for the bloodbath that could happen this Saturday night when the Buckeyes head to Rutgers.

3. Michigan Wolverines

Purdue gave Michigan a heck of a first half, but the Wolverines took over in the second half and rolled to a 28-10 win. Of course the big talk afterward was not the actual game but the lockerrooms. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Wolverines get the weekend off to find something else to complain about.

4. Indiana Hoosiers

Georgia Southern put up no fight and the Hoosiers cruised to a easy 52-17 win. We will get a better idea of just how good Indiana is this week when they go to Penn State.

5. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State did not fair well against Notre Dame Fighting Irish last Saturday. The final was 38-18 and it wasn’t that close. Now they host an Iowa team that will be either energized over their near upset last week, or trying to get over the hangover. Which will it be?

6. Maryland Terrapins

So much for that 3-0 vs 3-0 this weekend. The Terps got whooped by Central Florida 38-10. Of course losing your second quarterback in three weeks is not exactly a good thing. Good bye Kasim Hill, good luck Max Bortenschlager. Just not this week.

7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers tried but couldn’t get past a Nebraska team on the ropes. Their 27-17 loss might be one of the closest games they lose this year. This week they host Ohio State. This won’t be pretty.

Big Ten West

1. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin sat back and watched several other teams beat up on each other last week. This week they get to host Northwestern in a game that has caused trouble for them in the past.

2. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa gave Penn State a hell of a game, but just couldn’t hang on four seconds long enough. Now we will see if there is any let down as they go to East Lansing to play the Spartans this weekend.

3. Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Gophers kicked back and watched Maryland lose another quarterback last week. There are definitely no guarantees, but this game looks a lot more winnable for the Gophers then a few weeks ago.

4. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue played well for a half against Michigan, but just couldn’t hang on in the second half. Losing your two best defensive players to targeting penalties didn’t help either. They now miss the first half against the Gophers in a week after a bye week this week.

5. Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats used their bye week to see if they can be the claw in the side of another good Badger team. Its happened before....can it again?

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Cornhuskers had a heck of a week after their AD was fired. Its pretty much just a year long funeral for Mike Riley as head coach, so if Nebraska looked listless it would not be unexpected. And it wasn’t pretty but the Huskers got past Rutgers 27-17 at home. They now get a coveted FRIDAY NIGHT GAME!! YAY! At least its almost like a bye when you go to Illinois..

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois didn’t lose this week...so thats good. They host a FRIDAY NIGHT GAME YAY! against Nebraska this week... Yeesh.

Big Ten Teams Ranked 1-14

1. Penn State Nittany Lions (Previously #1)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (#2)
3. Wisconsin Badgers (#3)
4. Michigan Wolverines (#4)
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (#5)
6. Minnesota Gophers (#7)
7. Purdue Boilermakers (#8)
8. Indiana Hoosiers (#11)
9. Michigan State Spartans (8)
10. Northwestern Wildcats (#10)
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (#11)
12. Maryland Terrapins (#6)
13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (#13)
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (#14)

As always, if you disagree, let me know in the comments.