Alright, the last of the Power 5 Conferences to receive power rankings. Did I save the best for last? Hell no, the SEC, PAC 12, Big 12, and ACC are all better than this poor conference this year. From top to bottom this is by far the worst conference in the Power 5. The weakness of the conference this year has led to different teams moving up in the power rankings that are usually not there.
Tier 1 Power Rankings: Actual Contenders
#1 Ohio State
By far and away the best team in this conference. The offense has countless draft picks in the skill positions and they have a Heisman hopeful in Stroud leading them. The defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has a real, gritty blue-collar attitude. The Buckeyes are a legit playoff contender and no one in this conference should them. They really should just run away with this conference and on to the playoff.
Tier 2 Power Rankings: Good Teams
#2 Michigan
See Michigan fans I am not a hater at all. Y’all are the second-best team in this conference, hands down. I still don’t think you are that good. I think you have a great running game against bad teams. Once you play someone that can stop the run your perfect season is over. Your QB can’t win you a game, shit Will Levis is a better QB than what you have. I have to put your team here because of the record, but you don’t stand a chance vs. the buckeyes and will lose to any team that shuts your one-sided offense down. At least second place in the power rankings this week is pretty good.
#3 Illinois
I told people in the preseason on the Spiked College Football Show and on Units Only Go Up that this was a good team. I hammered their over-wins for the year which was 5.5 and it already hit. Tommy Devito is the perfect fit for this Bielema offense. He can make the third and 4 throws all day long and then take the top off with a great throw down the field. That is all this passing game has to do because Chase Brown is an absolute stud at running back. Too bad for them they will be the sacrifice to the buckeyes in the title game, but what a run to get there from the Illini.
#4 Penn State
I mean I guess this is where the Nittany Lions go. I don’t know, they couldn’t stop the run game of Michigan. That is literally all Michigan did was run left, run right, and run middle. Doesn’t really take much scheming to stop that. They have looked pretty good in all their other games but that wasn’t against great competition. This team is number four in the power rankings because this conference is pretty damn weak. Nothing is impressive about this team at all but they have a good record.
Tier 3 Power Rankings: Eh They Don’t Suck
#5 Maryland
This team is exactly what the subtitle says. They aren’t great they are bad they are exactly mediocre. The Terrapins will beat most of the teams they should, but won’t beat a team you wouldn’t expect them to beat. Taulia Tagovailoa is a very dynamic player at times, but he isn’t his brother and does make the mistake. Looking at their schedule they should go 8-4 and make a decent bowl, which is a win for this Maryland program.
#6 Purdue
So for the last few teams in this power rankings, I have been kind of negative. You see I am self-aware of how I am coming across. I am honest about my opinions and this conference gives me nothing to be that excited about. This is not true with the Boilermakers. I love the Aiden O’Connell to Charlie Jones connection on this team. They have been best friends since pee wees and it shows. In 6 games Jones has 62 catches for 735 yards and 9 touchdowns. Those are amazing stats for an otherwise mediocre team, but shit they are fun to watch!
#7 Minnesota
This team is only on this tier of the power rankings strictly because of Mo Ibrahim. That man can straight-up run the damn football, and he will have to run it even harder if Tanner Morgan is out. I really do like the Gophers but they have two conference losses already and they probably should have won those games. The entire program has definitely been turned around by PJ Fleck. This year feels like a bit of a let down though especially with the west being down, it should have been their division.
Tier 4 Power Rankings: Basketball Schools
#8 Michigan State & Indiana & Rutgers
They are all the same in the east, they all will be good at basketball. Tuck ain’t coming anywhere. Indiana has always been a basketball school. Rutgers is the new basketball school but at least Schiano is there to maybe turn them into something of a football school. I don’t want to waste any more time on these less-than-mediocre teams. You don’t even deserve a picture in this blog.
Tier 5 Power Rankings: The Rest of the West
#11 Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin
All three have great football history. Well, history doesn’t mean dick in the power rankings. These three teams are literally all the same. They are all going to have new coaches come to the start of next year. It is a shame these teams all just fell from the top of the West division of the Big 10 to below Illinois and Minnesota haha. The one thing these three teams have is delusional fan bases who will make great excuses for them, so there is that. Again pictures are for winners and Northwestern because that purple pops.
Tier 6 Power Rankings: Northwestern
#14 Northwestern
You may be at the bottom of the standings and power rankings. But you always have a great law school, high SATs, and Coach Fitzgerald. So celebrate being the Vandy of the Big 10.
I am not going to lie, I can’t believe I got through that. Wow, this conference, minus a few teams and players, is bad. I rather watch every team in the Sun Belt and AAC than most of these teams. Yeah, That is why I got lazy toward the end and grouped teams. What do I say for the bottom of this league? They are all absolutely terrible and a waste of words to talk about. I am sure my Twitter will be blown up by fans of some of these teams saying blah blah blah. Look, while I like a few of the mid-tier teams in this conference. Ohio State is the only team the national media should even bother with. Every other team is a huge pretender, especially Michigan.
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