Week 3 is in the books, and while a few marquee matchups have given us some early clarity, much of the sport is still in warmup mode—Power 4 teams beating up on overmatched opponents in sleepy noon kickoffs.
But hey, it’s college football. We’re eating it up anyway.
Washington was on a bye and has one more non-conference tune-up—against Wazzu, who just got run out of the Lone Star State 59–10 by North Texas. Rivalry or not, UW could leave Pullman without learning much about where it truly stands nationally.
So, no, we don’t know everything. But who doesn’t love a good power ranking?
Tier One: The Real Deal
Ohio State
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The Buckeyes opened with a gritty 14–7 win over No. 1 Texas, and the defense dominated. The front seven is nasty, the O-line is holding up, and Caleb Downs looks like the best defensive player in the country.
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Offensively, they haven’t shown much. Julian Sayin hasn’t been tested—yet.
Tier Two: Contenders with Real Shots
Penn State
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The offensive line is elite, the ground game is rolling, and Drew Allar looks steady.
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That said, FIU, Nevada, and Villanova sounds more like a basketball schedule than a playoff résumé.
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First true test: Week 5 vs Oregon
Oregon
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The defense looks fast and physical—especially off the edge. Dante Moore is efficient, and Kenyon Sadiq is a matchup nightmare at tight end.
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Montana State, Northwestern, and a crumbling Oklahoma State don’t prove much, but the Ducks look like a top-10 team.
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First true test: Week 5 at Penn State
Illinois
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Beat down Duke in Durham on the road, which isn’t nothing. Defense is flying around, and Luke Altmyer is playing like a top-5 QB in the Big Ten.
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Caveat: it’s Duke. They’re a Power 4 team in name only right now.
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First true test: Week 4 at Indiana
Indiana
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The Hoosiers rolled through a non-conference basketball schedule: ODU, Indiana State, Kennesaw State.
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That said, they’ve looked sharp, and the defense is better than expected.
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First real test: Week 4 vs Illinois
Tier Two: Battle-Tested, But Flawed
Michigan
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Fought hard against Oklahoma, but the defense isn’t what it was after losing a boatload of NFL talent.
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John Mateer gave them problems, which is concerning with UW on the schedule.
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Bryce Underwood has to be better than 9 of 24 in big games.
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Next up: Week 4 vs Nebraska
Iowa
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Classic Iowa-Iowa State slugfest. The Cyclones might win the Big 12, and the Hawkeyes hung in the whole way.
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Still: zero offensive spark when it matters.
Tier Two: Contenders? Maybe. We’ll Find Out Soon
Washington
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Jonah Coleman is playing like a top-5 RB nationally. Demond Williams is electric, and Denzel Boston is channeling Rome Odunze.
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But it’s come against Colorado State and UC Davis. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
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First real test: Week 5 vs Ohio State
USC
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Lincoln Riley’s offense is humming—but the competition? Not so much. Missouri State, Georgia Southern (with Clay Helton), and Purdue haven’t offered resistance.
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First real test: Week 5 at Illinois
Nebraska
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Took four quarters to put away Cincinnati, but dominated their next two.
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Dylan Raiola has shown flashes, but needs to make the leap to push for a playoff spot.
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First real test: Week 4 vs Michigan
Tier Three: Spoilers in Waiting
Rutgers
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Barely got by the wrong Ohio—but still undefeated. A lurking upset candidate.
Michigan State
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Took Boston College to overtime—a BC team that lost to Stanford. Not ideal.
Maryland
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Malik Washington looks like the real deal. Keep an eye on the Terps in November.
Minnesota
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The Cal loss hurts, but they’ve got enough grit to ruin someone’s season down the line.
Tier Four: Just Bad
Wisconsin
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Probably the best of the worst, which isn’t saying much.
Northwestern
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Blown out by both Oregon and Tulane. Not competitive.
Purdue
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The rebuild will take years. No short-term fix in sight.
Tier Five: UCLA
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The Bruins are getting outplayed and outdrawn by the Mountain West.
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A full-blown identity crisis in Westwood—can it be solved by forcing out the head coach DeShaun Foster. It isn’t clear if it’s a talent gap or a coaching philosophy, but the Bruins are on the outside looking in as things sit.
