The Buckeyes say…not so fast
The Ducks show they are the team to beat, and here comes Ohio State back to throw their name back into contention. James Franklin saw his team fail again against a ranked opponent, and Minnesota picks up a huge win.
#1 Oregon Ducks (Previously #1 — Win 38-27 at Michigan)
The Ducks just keep right on rolling on. They dismantled a Michigan team that showed some signs of life, but not near enough at home. Oregon finishes at home against Maryland , at Wisconsin, and home against Washington. There is zero reason they should not be 12-0.
#2 Indiana Hoosiers (Previous #3 Win 47-10 at Michigan State)
Indiana went down to the Spartans 10-0. And then what happened…. Finishing the game on a 47-0 run, the Hoosiers showed they are a real honest contender. They still have not played a hugely tough schedule—in theory their game this week against Michigan is their toughest on the schedule potentially. They are 2 TD favorites over the Wolverines-the first time they have been favored since 1968. That’s insane.
#3 Ohio State Buckeyes (Previously #4 — Win 20-13 at Penn State)
The Buckeyes got punched in the mouth early in the game by the Nittany Lions and then responded to take home a massive win. The Buckeyes get a huge boost towards locking down a CFP spot, and probably turn their game against Indiana in two weeks into a Big Ten semifinal. Purdue comes to down this week in what is about as close to a bye as you can have with still having to play a game.
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions (Previously #2 — Lose 20-13 vs Ohio State)
James Franklin’s team choked in a big game again. No shock there. Then we went and yelled at kids taunting him in the stands. Not a great look. Washington comes to town for the White Out Game this week ,which is probably good because otherwise this team would be ripe for a potential upset as they try and regroup.
#5 Iowa Hawkeyes (Previously #6 — Win 42-10 vs Wisconsin)
Look out, but the Brendan Sullivan era is fully underway as the Hawkeyes trounced the Badgers while only throwing seven passes. Kaleb Johnson is a stud, and Kirk may take this one to the grave not knowing how good a year Iowa could have had if he had made the QB change just a few games earlier. They fly across the country for a Friday night game in the Rose Bowl this week.
#6 Minnesota Golden Gophers (Previously #10 Win 25-17 at Illinois)
Minnesota gets the giant jump this week as they upset a ranked Illinois team on the road. Granted they were helped by teams ahead of them also losing, but here we are. You could make an argument for Illinois here, but to the winners get the spoils—-or the top spot in this occasion. Now the Gophers need to keep focused and go into Rutgers this week and knock off the Scarlet Knights in the mutual coaching staff classic. PJ, Greg, and Cory need to figure out how to beat Greg, Kirk, and Joe. Oh yeah, I’m sure Max vs Athan might come up once or twice too…
#7 #Illinois Fighting Illini (Previously #5 Lose 25-17 vs Minnesota)
Illinois drops a bit after the Gophers finally found a way to beat Bret Bielema. The Illini get a bye week this week to regroup for the final push that has three very winnable games in a home game against Michigan State before road trips to Rutgers and Northwestern to finish the season. 9-3 is a very real possibility for this team.
#8 Wisconsin Badgers (Previously #8 Lose 42-10 at Iowa)
Wisconsin does not deserve to stay at #8 this week, but there was absolute carnage in their tier so here we are. Their defense got smoked, their QB isn’t good. They get a bye this week to try and figure out how to make a final push. The Badgers set at 5-4 and need to win at least one of a home game against Oregon, at Nebraska, and the Black Friday finale against the Gophers to head to a bowl game. Gonna be interesting.
#9 Michigan Wolverines (Previously #9 Lose 38-17 vs Oregon)
No surprise the Wolverines got smoked by Oregon. The Ducks are good. Michigan still doesn’t seem to have a quarterback, and sitting at 5-4 with games at Indiana and at Ohio State left, 6-6 is looking a lot more realistic.
#10 Nebraska Cornhuskers (Previously #7 Lose 27-20 vs UCLA)
Nebraska loses at home to a UCLA team that seems to be finally figuring things out. Their QB got hurt, but luckily the Cornhuskers have a bye this week. They sit at 5-4 and finish at USC, at home vs Wisconsin and at Iowa. Not an easy path to get to 6 there for sure.
#11 Washington Huskies (Previously #13 — Win 26-21 vs USC)
Washington has had a topsy turvy season with some bad losses, but some gutsy wins like they had last week against the Trojans. They now get to 5-4 but have a brutal schedule to close starting with a White Out game at Penn State this weekend. They host UCLA next week in what may be a must win for bowl eligibility as the final week of the season they head to Eugene to face #1 Oregon.
#12 UCLA Bruins (Previously #15 Win 27-20 at Nebraska)
Don’t look now but here come the Bruins. Ethan Garbers has been great at QB the last few weeks and the Bruins have won two in a row. They have had both their byes so they finish with four straight games starting this week when they host Iowa on Friday night. They need to win three of four against the Hawkeyes, Trojans, Huskies and Fresno State to sneak into a bowl.
#13 Michigan State Spartans (Previously #12 — Lose 47-10 vs Indiana)
The Spartans went up 10-0 at home…and they promptly gave up 47 straight points to the Hoosiers. Not great. The Spartans get a bye this week before needing to win two of their last three to squeek into a bowl game. It is definitely doable though as they head to Illinois before closing out at home vs Rutgers and Purdue.
#14 USC Trojans (Previously #11 Lose 26-21 at Washington)
The Trojans have not has a good few weeks as they have now dropped four of their lat five games. Miller Moss looked great early in the season, but now will be getting benched after the bye week when USC hosts Nebraska. The Trojans now shockingly need to win two of their last three to make a bowl and it won’t be easy with Nebraska coming to down, a cross-town trip to UCLA, and the finale of the season when Notre Dame comes to LA.
#15 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Previously #14 Bye)
Rutgers drops a spot this week after UCLA’s jump up. They have lost four in a row but got a bye week to prepare for one of their most anticipated games to the season when the Gophers come to down. Does Kirk still have his post bowl week magic? Can Athan take it to his old team, or will the Gophers force him into struggles?
#16 Northwestern Wildcats (Previously #17 — Win 26-20 OT at Purdue)
Northwestern found a way to guy out an OT win over Purdue. The Boilermakers went for it in OT on 4th and 5 and failed, and Northwestern scored in two plays on their drive to win the game. Northwestern gets a bye this week and just needs to win two of their last three to make a bowl. Unfortunately for them those last three are Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois.
#17 Maryland Terrapins (Previously #16 — BYE)
Maryland drops a spot on their bye week as Northwestern gets the jump for beating Purdue. The Terps have to travel to Eugene this week for a game against the #1 Ducks. Good luck.
#18 Purdue Boilermakers (Previous #17 Lose 35-0 vs Oregon)
Purdue stays at the bottom after losing the basement bow in OT to Northwestern. Ryan Walters went for the win in OT but Purdue couldn’t covert a 4th and 5 and the Wildcats scored right away on their OT possession. Purdue now goes to Ohio State this week to get spanked and still has Penn State and Indiana on the schedule. 1-11 is looking very realistic.