2024 college football power rankings: Who sits atop Big Ten, Big 12, more?

We're now three weeks into the 2024 college football season, so I figured this might be a good time to power rank the top teams in each of the four power conferences, especially with conference play about to really get going for most teams across the nation. 

As we enter Week 4, we've got a much better idea about who these teams are than we did in the preseason. I'm going to place the top eight teams in each conference into separate tiers in addition to ranking them as a means to show who has separated themselves from the pack so far. 

Let's get to it.

1. Ohio State (3-0)

You guys should know who the Tier 1 team is in the Big Ten right now. Ohio State hasn't been challenged, but the Buckeyes are clearly at the top of the Big Ten right now. That roster is so good. Ohio State hasn't faced a red zone snap on defense. The Buckeyes haven't given up an offensive touchdown to the opposition yet. They will be there in the end. They've shown that, regardless of their opponent, they can go out there and dominate, which is why a certain team is down in Tier 2.

2. USC (2-0) 

The defense is the big surprise for us with USC. Their ability to tackle in the open field has been the biggest revelation in the college football season. Miller Moss made some big-time throws against LSU that should translate. That's why I moved USC ahead of Oregon. 

3. Oregon (3-0)

A lot of people considered Oregon the second-best team in the Big Ten entering the season. Even though Oregon played great against Oregon State, it struggled against Idaho and Boise State. The O-line tweak helped a ton against Oregon State. That made the Ducks much more dominant on the ground. I thought Dillon Gabriel would be a good fit for them, and he has been. 

4.