Why the top 3 in the Big Ten have separated themselves, and more from around conference

We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season for all Big Ten team and it’s time to take a look around at what happened in the conference in Week 4.

Here’s what stood out from a loaded slate of action this weekend.

Player of the week

Michigan RB Kalel Mullings: The Michigan offense has sputtered through four games, but Saturday it was able to do just enough to beat USC, in large part because of Mullings. Donovan Edwards came into the season as the team’s top back — and played well against the Trojans, too — but it was Mullings who carried the day for the Wolverines. He’s a powerful back who was able to get tough yards against USC and break off big gains when they were available. His first touchdown of the game got the Wolverines out to a 7-0 lead that they held on to until late in the fourth quarter, and his second took it back after USC took its only lead of the game. Mullings’ 17 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns were enormous in the game, but there was more at stake than just a win. His performance keeps Michigan firmly in the College Football Playoff picture at the moment.

Play of the week

Washington RB Jonah Coleman takes flight: I’m a sucker for a good hurdle and Coleman had a great one Saturday night against Northwestern. He caught a pass out of the backfield, made one defender miss and then went airborne to avoid another before landing on his feet and gaining a first down for the Huskies.

Top five

1. Ohio State: The Buckeyes weren’t at their best Saturday afternoon and they still dominated Marshall to the tune of a 49-14 win. I still hold the same concern I had through the first few weeks — I’m unsure if Will Howard is the level of quarterback the team needs to win the College Football Playoff this season. That being said, it’s undeniable that both the defense and the running game are elite at this point. And the path to winning a national title even if Howard isn’t elite is starting to become clearer. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson may do enough as runners to nullify some of the passing game concerns I have.

2. Oregon: The Ducks were off this week but maintain their hold in the top five thanks to one of the most impressive non-conference wins any Big Ten team has — its victory over Boise State two weeks ago. Their offense remains elite and the defense will have to just be good enough to get the job done in conference this year. A matchup with UCLA kicks off their conference schedule this week, but Ohio State looms in three weeks as one of the biggest games in the sport this season.

3. Penn State: The Nittany Lions took care of business by dominating a bad Kent State team this weekend, and now will have their second important test of the season this week after defeating West Virginia on the road in Week 1. They’ll take on Illinois at home in their homecoming game in a matchup that surprisingly features two ranked teams after the Illini’s undefeated start at No. 19 spot in the AP poll. Penn State enters the matchup as three score favorites and should help its resume if it takes care of business at home this weekend. And as of right now, there’s a clear line of demarcation between the top three and the rest of the conference at this moment.

4. Michigan: The biggest conference win of the weekend goes to the Wolverines after knocking off undefeated USC in Ann Arbor, 27-24. They led for most of the game and still showed the resiliency to bounce back after falling behind in the fourth quarter for the first time in the matchup. The loss to Texas still hurts their resume, and I still have plenty of questions about the viability of their offense when they can’t seem to throw the ball at all, but they have a formula to win and they stuck to it last weekend. That’s enough to get them back in the top five this week after the loss to Texas had bumped them out.

5. Illinois: This spot once again came down to two teams, with one being Indiana and the other being the Illini. Illinois gets the edge because they have two impressive wins — over Kansas at home and over Nebraska on the road. The real test for Illinois will come this weekend against Penn State and if that goes as I expect it to, I imagine Indiana will finally find itself in the top five as long as it takes care of Maryland. For now, the Illini will continue riding the back of Luke Altmyer and their strong defense to being one of the better teams in the conference to this point in the season.

Next five: Indiana, USC, Nebraska, Rutgers, Iowa