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Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 3: The book is out on Ohio State

By David Rouben

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners shakes hands with head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes after the Sooners defeated the Buckeyes 31-16 at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners shakes hands with head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes after the Sooners defeated the Buckeyes 31-16 at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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EUGENE, OR – SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Tanner Lee #13 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers is sacked by Linebacker Jonah Moi #3 of the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter of the game at Autzen Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 42-35. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR – SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Tanner Lee #13 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers is sacked by Linebacker Jonah Moi #3 of the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter of the game at Autzen Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 42-35. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
10

Indiana Hoosiers (1-1)

Last week: 0-1 record
Last rank: 12th

For Indiana, this was a nice way to bounce back after they let Ohio State get away from them in the second half of Week 1. However, a quarterback controversy is starting to brew in Bloomington once Peyton Ramsey replaced Richard Lagow in the second quarter.

Lagow was the presumed starter for the Hoosiers after they let him throw the ball 65 times for 420 yards. But he failed to get anything going in the first quarter when he went 3-of-10 for 24 yards and an interception. Rather than let him throw his way out of it, Tom Allen inserted Ramsey who went 16-of-20 and accounted for three touchdowns in the win.

Credit to Allen for making that adjustment, since we might not be talking about a win if Lagow was allowed to keep playing. Ramsey also did a nice job of spreading the ball around and getting multiple targets involved, proving they can survive in a post-Nick Westbrook world.

9

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-1)

Last week: 1-0 record
Last rank: 8th

Ninth may be too generous for the Cornhuskers given how poorly their defense and quarterback played. But after surrendering 42 points and 409 yards in the first half, they did well to adjust during the intermission. After that fast-paced start, Oregon was limited to 157 yards and no points in the second half.

These were two like-minded teams in that they both have to rely on an explosive offense to mask their defensive inefficiencies. But while the Cornhuskers’ comeback was impressive, they had plenty of chances to tie the game that they didn’t capitalize on. Before they eventually made it 42-35, they couldn’t score following a Ducks missed field goal and punt.

But of course, the blame for both the Ducks’ fast start and Nebraska’s failed comeback attempt falls on Tanner Lee. He only connected on 19 of his 41 throws, and while he threw three touchdowns, his four interceptions stick out like a sore thumb. His first two led to Oregon touchdowns, while the last one effectively ended the game since it happened in the last two minutes. Turns out replacing Tommy Armstrong Jr. isn’t as easy as it looks.

While Nebraska has an easy stretch of games to look forward to, their title game aspirations took a serious hit following this loss.

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