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 6 is in the books, and we’ve got the biggest shakeup these rankings have ever seen, bet you won’t guess why! 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 defeated Minnesota 42-3, and once again look like an unstoppable death machine. How fun! They’ll head on the road to take on Illinois next in a top 25 matchup.
2. Oregon
The Ducks were on the bye, and will welcome Indiana in a top 10 showdown 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.
3. Indiana
The Hoosiers were also on the bye, and take on Oregon next to try to cement themselves in the playoff discussion.
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.
4. Michigan
The Wolverines handled Wisconsin 24-10, and are pushing themselves higher on the list potentially into playoff discussions. Up next they’ll head west to play USC.
5. Illinois
The Illini took care of Purdue, 43-27, and could continue to be an entertaining team going forward. They can start this week by beating Ohio State next.
6. USC
The Trojans were on a bye, and will be taking on Michigan next to try to stake their own claim in the playoff discussion.
7. Iowa
Also on the bye, Iowa will take on a reeling Wisconsin next, hoping to put a nail in the Badgers’ coffin this season.
8. Nebraska
Big Red took down Michigan State 38-27, and will play Maryland next in a battle of 4-1 teams.
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.
9. Washington
One of just two “upsets” in these rankings from this past weekend, the Huskies defeated Maryland 24-20. Up next, Rutgers comes to town.
10. Maryland
Has October Maryland reared its ugly head? The Terrapins will try to right the ship against Nebraska next.
11. Minnesota
A 42-3 loss to Ohio State could be worse . . . could be better too, but y’know. The Boilermakers come to town next.
12. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights were on a bye, and will travel west to play Washington this week.
13. Michigan State
The Spartans played solidly against Nebraska, but couldn’t seal the deal. They’ll play UCLA next.
14. Wisconsin
The Badgers seemed to have given up at the end of their 24-10 loss. Another loss and they likely move down a tier. Next up is Iowa.
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. Purdue
The Boilermakers just didn’t have it in them to beat Illinois, but will try again this week against Minnesota.
16. Northwestern
The only non-conference game this week, the Wildcats beat University of Louisiana-Monroe 42-7. They’ll take on Penn State next.
17. UCLA
The upset of the year, potentially the decade. While there have been bigger point spread upsets, there hadn’t been an 0-4 team beating a top 10 team since 1985. The 42-37 win over Penn State may go down as the biggest upset in the conference since App State took down Michigan back in the ‘00s, and potentially ever. Michigan State is up next.
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
What the hell. Like really. What the hell was that? Embarrassing. The Lions went from preseason #2 to unranked, and I personally can envision another 3-4 losses if they continue to play like this. Maybe a 6-6 year would cause some actual shakeups in the coaching roster, but I won’t hold my breath. The Lions take on Northwestern next.
Squiggles, yay.
Ohio State and Oregon stay at the top, followed by Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, USC, Iowa, and Nebraska shifting up. Washington leapfrogs Maryland, the Minnesota, Rutgers, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, and UCLA move up. Penn State takes up residence in the basement, and I can see this being an extended stay at or near the bottom of the rankings for the Lions.
On to Week 7.
