B1G Power Rankings: Week Three

Now that we've finally had some Big Ten teams losing some games -- unfortunately that includes the Illini -- these rankings get a bit more interesting. Because, for the first time this season, we have a team with a loss ranked higher than some undefeated teams.

Actually, we have two such teams. One you'll easily guess, the other probably not.

Also, just know that I tweaked the formula a bit this weekend by adding big plays for and against into the mix. Because big plays have a tendency to decide the outcome of any given game.

So let's get to the latest edition of the Big Ten Power Rankings Of Power And Honor And Tradition And Chastity And Bo Pelini Telling Fans To Fuck Off He Doesn't Fucking Need You You Fucking Assholes And Fuck You Too Tommie Frazier.

TEAM (RECORD, LAST WEEK) -- POINTS

1. Ohio State (3-0. 2) - 140 -- The Buckeyes didn't have a lot of trouble with Cal on Saturday, because even thought he final margin was "only" 28 points you need to remember that the Buckeyes were up 21-0 six minutes into the game. So it was over quick. Oh, and now Urban Meyer is apparently toying with the idea of using both Braxton Miller and Kenny Guiton on the field at the same time, and did we mention that Carlos Hyde's suspension is over? Good times! This Week: vs. Florida A&M

2. Wisconsin (2-1, 1) - 128 -- The only reason the Badgers fell out of first place was because of the loss. That's it. And anybody who saw the manner in which the Badgers suffered that loss knows how seriously it should be taken. I was waiting until this week to really make a judgment on this team, and I'm making it now. The Badgers are good, and they're the only team in the Leaders Division with a shot at beating Ohio State. This Week: vs. Purdue

3. Michigan State (3-0, 6) - 117 -- Michigan State received the "we played a shitty team and padded our stats" bump this week. Though it also didn't hurt that Michigan nearly lost at home to Akron and Nebraska did lose to UCLA. Still, I don't expect Michigan State to hang out this high for too much longer. This Week: at Notre Dame

4. Michigan (3-0, 3) - 116 -- Oh don't worry about it, Michigan. That type of shit happens in college football. These are teenagers we're dealing with here. You had the big win against Akron and the team just kinda relaxed and found itself facing an opponent that was playing in its Super Bowl. At the end of the day you won and you can just move on. This Week: at UConn

5. Indiana (2-1, 10) - 114 -- Surprised? Yeah, Indiana benefits the most from me adding big plays to the equation considering that it leads the Big Ten with 30 plays of 20 yards or more. The Illini, Michigan and Wisconsin are all tied for second in that category....with 21. Plus the Hoosiers are dominating just about every major offensive statistic in the conference. This Week: vs. Missouri

6. Northwestern (3-0, 7) - 113 -- Northwestern moves up a spot although it did struggle for a bit against Western Michigan. I thought the Wildcats would fatten up some stats to give themselves a boost here, but I guess we'll just have to wait for them to do that this week instead. This Week: vs. Maine

7. Minnesota (3-0, 5) - 112 -- Notice how third place and seventh place are separated by five whole points? Much like Northwestern, Minnesota had a chance to fatten up against Western Illinois this week but instead decided to fuck around for a bit. Some will blame Jerry Kill's problems for the game, but Minnesota was losing when Kill suffered the seizure so I don't think that excuse really flies. This Week: vs. San Jose State

8. Iowa (2-1, 11) - 93 -- Don't let the final score of Iowa's win against Iowa State fool you too much. The Hawkeyes actually led 27-7 with five minutes to play before Iowa State gave them a scare at the end. Also it seems that Iowa figured out that the best way to overcome a bad passing attack is to run the ball all the damn time, as it ran 60 times in this game. This Week: vs. Western Michigan

9. Penn State (2-1, 7) - 90 -- I really don't think Penn State needs to worry about losing to UCF at home. It's not ideal, no, but UCF is actually a good team. However, if there is a reason to worry its that the Nittany Lions have the worst turnover margin in the conference, which is to be expected when you have a true freshman playing quarterback. Though it wasn't a problem this week. So maybe Penn State should turn the ball over more and it'll win? Is that the lesson here? This Week: vs. Kent State

10. Illinois (2-1, 9) - 83 -- The Illini only drop a spot following their first loss, and the reasons they're this low are obvious to all. The offense is cool, if not perfect, and the defense has a really hard time stopping anybody that doesn't help stop themselves. That said, they're a million miles ahead of where they were last season. This Week: Bye

11. Nebraska (2-1, 4) - 80 -- Now this is quite the fall, all the way down from fourth place. But that's just how ugly things got at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, and they don't appear to have gotten any prettier in Lincoln since, have they? The good news is that Saturday is only four days away and it features South Dakota State on the menu. Man, imagine if Nebraska loses to SDSU.... This Week: South Dakota State

12. Purdue (1-2, 12) - 42 -- It was a valiant effort, Purdue. It really was. This Week: at Wisconsin

Last week's rankings can be found here.

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