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College football conference power rankings: Week 4 – Pac-12 plummets

By Nathaniel Reeves

LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 16: Clemson Tigers players celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clemson won 47-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 16: Clemson Tigers players celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clemson won 47-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes against DeAndre Applin #24 of the Georgia State Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 16, 2017, in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes against DeAndre Applin #24 of the Georgia State Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 16, 2017, in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

1. Big Ten

Apart from an upset in Lincoln, the Big Ten rolled through week three to hold on to the top spot in the college football conference power rankings.

Saturday’s best win in the conference belonged to Wisconsin, which demolished BYU 40-6 in Provo. The Cougars aren’t particularly good this year, but that’s still an impressive win in a tough environment, and Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook turned in a nearly flawless performance.

Ohio State bounced back from last week’s ugly showing against Oklahoma with a win over Army and can beat any team in the nation behind the combination of running back J.K. Dobbins and a stingy front seven. Penn State also moved up to No. 4 with a 56-0 demolition of Georgia State and has allowed all of 14 points on the young season.

There is cause for concern in Ann Arbor, as Michigan’s offense again looked sluggish in a 29-13 win over Air Force, as the Wolverines have just five offensive touchdowns on the year. The Big Ten still doesn’t have a ranked team outside of those four, but Minnesota could soon join the top 25 after destroying Middle Tennessee State to move to 3-0 under P.J. Fleck.

Jeff Brohm appears to be engineering a miracle turnaround at Purdue, and the middle of the Big Ten is loaded with other capable teams like Iowa and Maryland. Nebraska was the only real disappointment in week three, as the Huskers look to be in for a long year after losing to a middling MAC team in Northern Illinois.

Next: Hot seat watch, week 3: Winners and losers

No conference in the nation can match the strength of four teams ranked in the top ten, and some other solid contenders are starting to emerge. Next week’s Big Ten schedule is highlighted by a pair of playoff contenders facing potential road traps, as Penn State will travel to Iowa, while Michigan takes on upstart Purdue.

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