Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season.
The rules are few, but resolute:
Teams are ranked by how they’re playing at that time. Not body of work, not rankings in the polls, but simply how each team is playing at that point in the season.
The approach to the rankings is not necessarily on the field results (though those
do count, as an obvious, tangible data point), but more generally if the two teams played at a neutral site 100 times, which team would win 51 times (or more).
These rankings are subjective. As the author I get to follow the rules as closely or loosely as I want to, and if you don’t like the rankings, you’re wrong.
Week 10 is in the books, and we had another surprisingly calm weekend. Let’s get to it!
Tier 1: Playoff Locks
Teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs, if they continue to play the way they have played thus far.
1. Ohio State
OSU had a fight on their hands through the first half against Penn State, but shut out the Nittany Lions in the second half en route to a 38-14 win. Up next, the Buckeyes take on Purdue.
2. Indiana
The Hoosiers beat Maryland 55-10 after a brief stint where they were trailing early in the game. Up next they get to beat down Penn State.
3. Oregon
The Ducks were on their bye week, and will take on Iowa next.
Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls
Teams that could very well end up in the playoffs, but need to continue to improve their resume and move up the rankings before they can make it.
4. USC
The Trojans went on the road and took down Nebraska 21-17. Not the strongest win, but a road victory is a road victory. Northwestern comes to town next.
5. Michigan
The Wolverines were on the struggle bus against Purdue, and managed to squeak out a 21-16 win. They’ll head to the bye next.
Tier 3: High-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that likely won’t make the playoffs, but will represent the conference in quality bowls, including the Citrus Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
6. Iowa
The Hawkeyes were on their bye, and will welcome Oregon this week.
7. Washington
The Huskies were also on the bye, and will head east to take on Wisconsin next.
8. Illinois
The Illini routed Rutgers 35-13, and are sitting in a pretty good spot as they head into the bye week.
9. Minnesota
The Gophers struggled against Michigan State, needing overtime to beat the Spartans 23-20. But a win is a win, and the bye week beckons.
10. Nebraska
The Cornhuskers couldn’t pull off the upset against USC, and lost quarterback Dylan Raiola in the process. They’ll head west to take on UCLA in a suddenly dangerous game.
Tier 4: Low-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that will end up making it to a bowl game, but likely the bowls that aren’t quite as prestigious, including the Pinstripe Bowl and the Music City Bowl.
11. Northwestern
The Wildcats were on the bye, but get back to it against USC this week.
12. UCLA
The Bruins were on a bye as well, and will look to get back to their winning ways against a wounded Nebraska squad.
13. Maryland
The Terrapins came out swinging, landed a quick jab, and then got haymakered into oblivion against Indiana. A game against Rutgers may determine bowl eligibility for one of the two teams.
14. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights were simply outclassed against Illinois, and will need to get 2 more wins to get to a bowl game. Can one of those come against Maryland?
Tier 5: Bowl-Ineligible Teams
Teams that are on a trajectory to end the season below .500 and miss out on a post-season bowl game.
15. Michigan State
The Spartans once again hung tough with an opponent, but came up short against Minnesota. The bye week is welcoming.
16. Wisconsin
The Badgers were on a bye week, and will welcome a top 25 Washington team next.
17. Purdue
The Boilermakers fought hard against Michigan, but came up short in the end. #1 Ohio State comes to town next in what could be a bloodbath.
Tier 6: The Basement™
The worst of the worst, teams whose fans wear paper bags over their heads and count down the days until they have a new head coach.
18. Penn State
The Lions all made us think they had something cooking, going into halftime down just 3 against Ohio State. They then proceeded not to score any more points, and let the Buckeye wide receivers complete 40+ yard gains left and right. Next up is Indiana!
The squiggles are very quiet this week.
The top 7 all remain in place: Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, USC, Michigan, Iowa, and Washington. The middle 3 do a do-si-do: Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The bottom 8 all remain in place: Northwestern, UCLA, Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Penn State.
On to Week 11.
