Here it is. The Big 10 power rankings for week 10, woohoo! By the way, the woohoo was sarcastic. This conference is pathetic. The SEC, Big 12, PAC 12 and ACC are all better than the Midwest boys. I would even take the Sunbelt and the AAC top to bottom. But I rank every power five conference; so lets do it!
Big 10 Power Rankings: Playoff Contenders
#1 Ohio State
Now before all you Wolverine fans start saying “Well, we beat Penn State by more.” Who cares. That was a home game for you and a road game for them. That argument is stupid and you shouldn’t be allowed to have an opinion if that is your take. What impressed me with Ohio State this week is their defense. Yes, they gave up points, but they really buckled down when they needed a stop. The game was always in hand but when Penn State started to have momentum late in the game, the defense caused turnovers and took the game over. Ohio State has the offense and the defense to be the number one team in the Big 10.
#2 Michigan
Congrats on beating younger brother Michigan State this week. Did you look great doing it? The score board looks like a dominant performance, but let’s dive deeper. JJ McCarthy is still not a great throwing QB and not scoring touchdowns versus good teams, which you haven’t played yet. It will come back to bite you in the ass. You could be number one in the Big 10 power rankings if those field goals were touchdowns. That is what real good teams do. I may have be biased towards Michigan because I really think that the Buckeyes kill them this year. Prove me wrong, Michigan, and I’ll bow down. The thing is, I am usually never wrong about a team.
Big 10 Power Rankings: Bowl Teams
#3 Illinois
Illinois statistically has the best defense in the country. Now I don’t think on the field they are because stats can lie, but they are damn good. Like I said last week, Chase Brown is amazing and Tommy Devito plays perfect complimentary QB. He never does too much, just gets the ball to his playmakers and lets them ball out. This team is the best in the west and will be in the Big 10 championship game. Can they actually knock off Ohio State or Michigan and win a big 10 championship? I am rooting for it, because that would be a hell of a story.
#4 Maryland
The Terrapins have an outside chance of being a nine win team this year. Taulia Tagovailoa is the heart of this offense, and they go as he goes. His two bad games they lost and the others they looked like a real dangerous team on offense. I think they beat Penn State and make it interesting versus Ohio State. This is more of a bash on Penn State not being a top four team in the Big 10 power rankings because they are very overrated.
#5 Penn State
James Franklin does not win big games. That is an undisputed fact. So yes, go ahead, celebrate beating Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers. Every single year you only lose to Ohio State and Michigan and beat everyone else. That is why you are a fraud every single year. Those two teams use you as a spring board to the top, fooling everyone else in the national media. Not me. You are not good at QB or on offense in general. You have one good NFL player in Joey Porter Jr. Other than that, you are just always third in the Big 10 East at best.
#6 Purdue
As I have stated on the Spiked College Football Show and in blogs, I love watching this offense. I love watching Charlie Jones make defensive backs look silly and Aiden O’Connell look like a real NFL QB; not like Will Levis. They are always entertaining, but do lose games they shouldn’t. I think they can upset Illinois if the boys are buzzing on offense.
#7 Minnesota
Right now the Gophers might be in the middle of the Big 10 power rankings. If you look at their schedule, it is not completely crazy they get nine wins. They play all bad teams the last month of the year and with a bowl win this team could have double digit wins. I love Mo Ibrahim, and Tanner Morgan is your typical gritty mid west QB. I am rooting for this team to go out and get those ten wins because PJ Fleck is a fun guy to root for.
#8 Iowa
Even though the Hawkeyes offense has been historically bad, they could make a bowl. They are 4-4 and have four games left. If they win two, they are bowl eligible. That might be the worst thing that happens to Iowa. The best thing, long term for them, is to lose out and fire both of the Ferentzes. Clean break and modernize the offense. They always get good recruits on defense. If they can bring a new offensive system in they can be a top of the west sooner than later. This season though, it is meme worthy bad on offense and they are only this high because look at how bad the teams are below them.
#9 Wisconsin
They are in the middle of the Big 10 power rankings, because even though they have been very bad for their expectations, there are far worse teams in this conference. Jim Leonard should be named head coach and leave the interim tag behind. He is Wisconsin football. Get back to running the ball and playing defense and the Badges will be fine next year. They might make a bowl game if they can pull a slight upset versus either Iowa or Minnesota.
#10 Rutgers
Yes, they just got blown out on the road at Minnesota. They are in the bowl tier, because if they pull huge upsets, they could end up with the magic number six and be bowl eligible. If that happens, then they would be a year ahead of expectations and Schiano looks like even more of a genius. Would I bet on Units Only Go Up that this will happen? Hell no! I have them in this tier out of respect for Schiano and what they will become next year, which I shouldn’t do, but they are my rankings.
Big Ten Power Rankings:Just Ugly
#11 Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska
Tuck Ain’t Cummin, he’s going with a big pay day. Cornhuskers hire a coach, then I will write a paragraph. Indiana, it’s ok basketball starts next week.
Big Ten Power Rankings: Relegation
#14 Northwestern
Look, I love Fitzgerald and he would do so good in the FCS when they get relegated for North Dakota State. Let the Bison come up and actually be a competitive team and let Northwestern win the FCS. It’s a win-win. Fitzgerald is finally a national champion and can save face and the Big 10 gets better. This isn’t sarcastic, just so we are clear.
Well I said the ACC was painful. This was so much worse. The Big 10 really needs the middle tier teams to actually compete with the Buckeyes and the Wolverines on an annual basis for the conference to rise. I don’t think the Big 10 wants that, though, because they always have their two best teams competing for the playoff. Hey, readers, come tell me where I am wrong on twitter. I’ll tell you why you are stupid.
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