CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: MaximumSam on October 07, 2017, 11:46:08 PM
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1. Penn State (Beat Northwestern 31-7, next week BYE) The stats weren't as pretty as you'd like, but another week of the defense dominating the game and the offense being pretty darned good, if not quite as good as we expected. The bye week may help sort out their issues before some real meat comes there way.
2. Ohio State (Beat Maryland 62-14, next week @Nebraska) As thorough a butt kicking as you're likely to see, but again, real meat is coming. They go to Nebraska to see if their offense can maintain its pace.
3. Wisconsin (Beat Nebraska 38-17, next week v. Purdue) Took a long time to get space from Nebraska, and I dropped them a spot due to OSU's conference dominance. But still the class of the West, though Purdue will provide perhaps the toughest test of the season.
4. Michigan State (Beat Michigan 14-10, next week @Minnesota) Hell of an effort by Sparty on the road. Lewerke is perhaps the best QB in the conference, and the defense is real good again. But I'm not sure they are good enough to jog past the also rans in the conference - the Gophers might provide a test.
5. Michigan (Lost to MSU 14-10, next week @Indiana) Defense is strong, but offense hitting Defcon 1 levels of crappiness. O'Korn started off strong against Sparty but seemed to regress through the game. OL still deficient. A team capable of losing and winning every game.
6. Iowa (Beat Illinois 45-16, next week BYE) No reason to rethink them. Slow start and strong finish against inept Illini.
7. Purdue (Beat Minnesota 31-17, next week @Wisconsin) A good win for Purdue despite the turnovers. Get another chance against a B1G blue blood and a chance to compete for the conference.
8. Maryland (Lost to OSU 62-14, next week v. Northwestern) Welp, not their finest effort. Tilt against NW will give us a another clue on whether this is a legitimate team or not. QB situation getting desperate.
9. Minnesota (Lot to Purdue 31-17, next week v. MSU) Still struggling to move the ball, and now they get Sparty. Though with a new coach you expect some ups and downs.
10. Indiana (Beat Charleston Southern 27-0, next week v. Michigan) A who cares game, but now get Michigan. I'm sure they are looking forward to the easier part of the B1G schedule.
11. Northwestern (Lost to PSU 31-7, next week @ Maryland) Not much resistance against the Lions. But still a scrappy group than will win some B1G games, maybe starting next week.
12. Nebraska (Lost to Wisconsin 38-17, next week v. OSU) Showed a little bit against the Badgers. I officially declare them out of the pit. But now they get OSU.
13. Rutgers (BYE, next week @Illinois) Pillow Fight!
14. Illinois (Lost to Iowa 45-16, next week v. Rutgers) Pillow Fight!
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Can we stop misspelling "Power"?
Cream
1) Penn State
2) Wisconsin
Decent
3) M*chigan State
4) M*chigan
5) Ohio State - beating up on 4th string QB's doesn't prove much.
6) Iowa
7) Maryland - Any QB's on scholarship left?
Going Bowling?
8 )Purdue
9) Nebraska
10)Minnesota
11)Indiana
12)Northwestern
Very Bad
13) Illinois - battle of the Cellar takes place next
14) Rutgers - somehow lost to bye
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1. Penn State - They'll get exposed when they play someone with an offensive pulse, but that isn't going to happen in the Big Ten
2. Wisconsin - Still undefeated.
3. Ohio State - That Oklahoma loss doesn't look so good any more, but as I said last week, they'll move up if they dominate Maryland, which they did.
4. Michigan State - They never play this well against anyone else (except maybe Ohio State), but they won.
5. Iowa - I was unimpressed, but they're here by default (and that Iowa State win now looks better, of course)
6. Michigan - Weather and officiating aside, I just don't get how they played so badly. They might as well start giving Peters snaps at this point.
7. Purdue - Didn't see the end after the delay, but they looked decent in coming back.
8. Maryland - That Texas win is looking better, but there's only so much you can do with a 3rd string QB
9. Minnesota - Couldn't take advantage of all the turnovers they got.
10. Indiana - The Virginia win keeps them from being lower.
11. Nebraska - At least they kept it close.
12. Northwestern - They have a solid defense, but their offense is painful to watch.
13. Illinois - Gave Iowa a better challenge than I expected until the 4th quarter, but I don't think they'll beat anyone left except...
14. Rutgers - I don't think they're beating Illinois
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1. Penn State - They'll get exposed when they play someone with an offensive pulse, but that isn't going to happen in the Big Ten
Tough crowd. Buckeyes 4th in the nation in scoring and total offense.
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Contenders
1 Penn St
2 Wisconsin
3 Ohio St
Dark Harras
4 Michigan St
5 Michigan
6 Iowa
Bowl locks
7 Purdue
8 Maryland
9 Indiana
Bowl maybes
10 Minnesota
11 Northwestern
12 Nebraska
No Bowl for you
13 Illinois
14 Rutgers
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1. PSU
2 blowout wins in a row
2. Wisc
Neb may not be any good, but its still tough to go to Lincoln and get a solid win.
3. OSU
OSU is looking dominant, but I am interested how that OSU offense does against Iowa and MSU's defense and how OSU reacts in a close game. Oklahoma loss looks worse now
4. MSU
Back to back wins against Iowa and Mich. I was completely wrong about MSU in the pre-season. They are back!
5. Iowa
Both Iowa and Mich did about the same against MSU, but Iowa lost @MSU. Plus Iowa's early win over ISU looks more impressive now.
6. Mich
Mich's lack of offense was going to catch up to them sooner or later.
7. Purdue
Both MD and Purdue got close wins over Minn in last 2 minutes. I just think Purdue has more potential going forward.
8. MD
Jeckyl and Hyde team. Good 1 week. Awful the next. I am putting them right in the middle.
9. Minn
Close losses to MD and Purdue. Just not good enough to pull out close vicories at the end of games.
10. Indy
Just a notch below the decent teams
11. Neb
Not a good team, but playing decent enough to jump NW
12. NW
Competing with Neb for most disapointing team this year.
13. ILL
As bad as they are, still better than Rutgers.
14. Rut
Just awful
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Contenders
1 Penn St
2 Wisconsin
3 Ohio St
Dark Harras
4 Michigan St
5 Michigan
6 Iowa
Bowl locks
7 Purdue
8 Maryland
9 Indiana
Bowl maybes
10 Minnesota
11 Northwestern
12 Nebraska
No Bowl for you
13 Illinois
14 Rutgers
What other game do you see a 3rd or 4th string QB beating on our remaining schedule?
LOL
Maybe Northwestern and Rutgers?
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Yeah, Bärenjäger will probably beat two of Rutgers, Northwestern, Indiana or Michigan.
If he's out, it might get a little sketchy.
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Maryland won at Minnesota. MSU is still young enough that no loss would surprise me. I wouldn't pick a home loss to Maryland, but it wouldn't shock me either. MSU always stuggles against home run threats and Maryland still has those guys. I wouldn't expect the Terps to put together drives against our defense, but I don't think they would game plan to do so either.
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1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Wisconsin
4. Michigan State
5. Iowa
6. Michigan
7. Northwestern
8. Indiana
9. Purdue
10. Northwestern
11. Minnesota
12. Nebraska
13. Illinois
14. Rutgers
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And predictably, Michigan stays ahead of MSU in the national polls.
1 Penn St
2 Wisconsin
3 Ohio St
4 Michigan St
5 Michigan
6 Iowa
7 Purdue
8 Maryland
9 Indiana
10 Minnesota
11 Northwestern
12 Nebraska
13 Illinois
14 Rutgers
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1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Wisconsin
4. Michigan State
5. Iowa
6. Michigan
7. Purdue
8. Maryland
9. Northwestern
10. Indiana
11. Nebraska
12. Minnesota
13. Rutgers
14. Illinois
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Last week in parenthesis
1. WISCONSIN (2) - feels weird to drop PSU after a convincing win, but that was more about Northwestern looking horrible
2. PENN STATE (1) - suddenly being led by their defense
3. OHIO STATE (4) - might be the most well rounded performance I've seen from this team since the 2015 Michigan game
4. MICHIGAN STATE (6) - defense has proven it's for real, enough that I think they can beat anyone on their schedule, but the offense still has a lack of playmakers outside of QB, that they could also lose to anyone
5. MICHIGAN (3) - so much for the Speight injury being a blessing in disguise, time to decide if you are still playing for 2017, and take off McCaffrey's redshirt, or not, and put in Peters
6. IOWA (7) - they let Illinois hang around for way too long
7. PURDUE (8) - would have felt wrong if they lost at home while honoring Tiller
8. MARYLAND (5) - would have bet my house that Maryland would have covered, this is why I don't gamble
9. INDIANA (10) - that Virginia win keeps looking more and more impressive too
10. MINNESOTA (9) - had chances to win the last two weeks, and just manufacturing ways to lose, Fleck has to overhaul the mentality of his inherited roster
11. NEBRASKA (12) - at least they showed some fight, they just had no answer for Taylor
12. NORTHWESTERN (11) - they look downright inept offensively right now, and that Duke thumping keeps looking worse
13. ILLINOIS (13) - at least it looked like they hadn't totally given up
14. RUTGERS (14) - bye week
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1) Penn State
2) Ohio State
3) Wisconsin
4) Michigan State
5) Michigan
6) Iowa
7) Purdue
8) Maryland
9) Minnesota
10) Indiana
11) Nebraska
12) Northwestern
13) Illinois
14) Rutgers
So far, it appears that Sparty and Purdue are the surprises, and the two NUs have been the disappointments. Everyone else is probably at or near expectations.
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Whole lot of B1G West in the bottom half.
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Whole lot of B1G West in the bottom half.
Based on the consensus, I count 4 out of 7 in the bottom half
MD (east)
Minn (west)
Indy (east)
NW (west)
Neb (west)
ILL (west)
Rut (east)
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Maryland 3 point underdogs, at home, vs Northwestern, with 2 defenders having to sit out the first half due to ejection this week.
I don't see many more wins, unless Caleb is actually worth his 4-star rating. If not, and Bortenschlager plays, I don't see a bowl.
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S&P Rankings:
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Penn State (4)
3. Wisconsin (7)
4. Michigan (15)
5. Michigan State (26)
6. Indiana (38)
7. Iowa (42)
8. Nebraska (50)
9. Purdue (52)
10. Minnesota (54)
11. Northwestern (73)
12. Maryland (78)
13. Rutgers (94)
14. Illinois (100)
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Tough crowd. Buckeyes 4th in the nation in scoring and total offense.
I still don't think they have a competent passing game against quality defenses. The running game is good enough to put up gaudy stats against inferior teams and the passing game is good enough to function against inferior teams but I still strongly doubt tOSU's ability to move the ball against quality defenses.
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And predictably, Michigan stays ahead of MSU in the national polls.
Eh, I'm not sure that I disagree. Both teams a good enough on D to beat anybody and bad enough on O to lose to anybody. Automatically ranking MSU ahead due to the win is fine for now but I wouldn't be shocked if M won their next two (@IU, @PSU) and MSU lost their next two (@MN, vIU).
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Last week I had Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland, and Michigan State ranked third through sixth respectively. I commented that I thought that I thought that 3/4 and 5/6 were toss-ups and that the gap between 3/4 and 5/6 appeared to be enormous.
My #4, Ohio State thoroughly dominated my #5, Maryland thus seeming to confirm my observation. Then my #3 lost at home to my #6 thus throwing my whole view of the conference into chaos.
I'm honestly not positive that MSU is even better than Michigan in large part because I do not feel confident either that Michigan is as bad as they looked against MSU or that MSU is as good as they looked against Michigan. So I'll try again:
- Penn State - I still lack confidence in this pick because in their six games the Nittany Lions have played five bad teams and barely escaped Iowa in the one challenging game they played. Now, at the mid-point of their season, they get a week off then back-to-back-to-back games vM, @tOSU, @MSU.
- Ohio State - I don't know how much it means because Maryland was playing mascots and cheerleaders at QB but Ohio State's defense absolutely smothered the Terrapins. The Terps finished with 66 total yards and nearly half of those came on their final drive when trailing 62-7. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's loss to ISU confirmed my worst fears about that loss.
- Wisconsin - I had previously left Nebraska for dead but Wisconsin was tied with them late in the third quarter and within one score until about half way through the fourth. That could just be a home game effect but if not then either Nebraska is a lot better or Wisconsin a lot worse than I thought. We'll find out this week when Nebraska hosts Ohio State and Wisconsin plays perhaps the second best team in the B1G-W, Purdue.
- Michigan State - I'm not confident in this at all, as stated above.
- Michigan - Both Michigan Schools have defenses good enough to keep them in any game and offenses bad enough to keep their opponents in any game.
- Purdue - I believe this is the first time in about a decade that I've had Purdue in the top half of a B1G Power Ranking.
- Iowa - Iowa State win and MSU loss both look better but they should have been able to dispatch Illinois more easily.
- Indiana - The Hoosiers are 0-2 in Conference but their losses are to my #1 and #2 teams so that doesn't say much. Their OOC wins over Charleston Southern and Georgia Southern say nothing but the OOC win over UVA looks pretty good. Can they beat one of the two Michigan schools the next two weeks?
- Nebraska - Maybe Wisconsin isn't as good as I thought but at least Nebraska put up a fight so for now I am moving them up.
- Maryland - It is hard to get a read on this team largely due to their QB situation. The Texas win looks great, the UCF loss doesn't look too bad, and the win at Minnesota was a pleasant surprise but they just looked flat awful in Columbus.
- Minnesota - It will be interesting to see how the Gophers respond to adversity. This could still be a bowl team but time is running out fast. Back-to-back losses to beatable teams have them teetering at 3-2.
- Northwestern - This weekend's game at Maryland is probably a must-win for NU's bowl hopes.
- Illinois - This week is their best and possibly only chance to avoid going 0-9 in conference because they are playing:
- Rutgers - Saying that Rutgers has been bad since joining the B1G doesn't begin to convey the magnitude of Rutgers' deficiencies. They are now 4-24 all-time in B1G games and they have only won one since going 3-5 in 2014. This week's pillow fight against Illinois is the only realistic chance they have to avoid going 0-9 for a second consecutive year.
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FWIW, composite computer rankings now have the Big Ten as the top conference. First time I can ever recall that.
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I still don't think they have a competent passing game against quality defenses. The running game is good enough to put up gaudy stats against inferior teams and the passing game is good enough to function against inferior teams but I still strongly doubt tOSU's ability to move the ball against quality defenses.
Maybe - they will see some with PSU, UM, and MSU coming up. However, I think the offense is much more coherent compared to what it was last year, and even earlier in the season. The passing game is now designed to get defenders out of the box and into the hands of speedy guys. Last year, they seemed intent on throwing the ball in the same areas they wanted to run the ball. It's also now more on JT making quick reads as opposed to doing timing routes or going through long progressions.
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Whole lot of B1G West in the bottom half.
This year has not been good so far for the East in the cross-over games (which is a big part of the reason that Wisconsin will be a virtual lock for the B1G-W crown if they beat Purdue this weekend):
B1G-E wins over B1G-W teams:
- Michigan over Purdue at Purdue
- Penn State over Iowa at Iowa
- Penn State over Northwestern at Northwestern
- Maryland over Minnesota at Minnesota
- Michigan State over Iowa at home
B1G-W wins over B1G-E teams:
- Nebraska over Rutgers at home
Not only is the B1G-E up 5-1 but they have won four road games.
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I'd say that looks pretty good for the East in the crossover games.
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Tough crowd. Buckeyes 4th in the nation in scoring and total offense.
that's because the b1g defenses are that bad. :93:
(tongue in cheek, i know sec d are...lacking).
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1. Ohio State (3)- I think the Oklahoma game was more about the implementing of a new offensive system and so many new defensive players. Urban is an awesome coach, and their team is really coming together. The improvement is tremendous. I think it's time to admit this is the looking like the best team in the B1G right now.se
2. Wisconsin (1)- Struggled a bit with Nebraska, but that a very tough place to play. Should easily win the West.
3. Penn State (2)- Defense and Special teams have been very good. Offense is putting up numbers. However, those who watch every game can see obvious chinks in the armor. The offensive line is struggling, and the defensive line is getting the pressure it normally does. Penn State has the best scoring defense in the country, but their schedule has been very weak. We shall find out what this team is made of in two weeks.
4. Michigan State (5)- I almost put Michigan here. I do think that Michigan is a better team, and I think they would have won easily if not for the crazy weather and the 5 turnovers. However, results on the field trump my opinions -- for now.
5. Michigan (4)- They really have to get their offense figured out. On a side note, the last press conference with Harbaugh with shameful. The Michigan press treated him like hot garbage. The guy lost a close game with a rival in a rainstorm, in a rebuilding year. Michigan fans and the press are ridiculous.
6. Iowa (6)
7. Purdue (7)
8. Indiana (11) - after some reflection, I think I had them too low
9. Maryland (8)
10. Nebraska (12)
11. Northwestern (10)
12. Minnesota (9)
13. Illinois (13)
14. Rutgers (14)
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7. Northwestern
10. Northwestern
Which one of these is supposed to be Maryland?
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| Rank | . | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | . | Rank |
| . | Team | PSU | UW | tOSU | MSU | M | Iowa | PU | MD | IU | MN | UNL | NU | ILL | RU | Team | . |
| 1 | PSU | n/a | miss | 10/28, H | 11/4, H | 10/21, A | L by 2, H | miss | 11/25, H | L by 31, A | miss | 11/18, A | L by 24, H | miss | 11/11, A | PSU | 1 |
| 2 | UW | miss | n/a | miss | miss | 11/18, A | 11/11, A | 10/14, A | 10/21, A | 11/4, H | 11/25, H | L by 21, H | L by 9, A | 10/28, H | miss | UW | 2 |
| 3 | tOSU | 10/28, A | miss | n/a | 11/11, A | 11/25, H | 11/4, H | miss | L by 48, A | L by 28, H | miss | 10/14, H | miss | 11/18, A | L by 56, H | tOSU | 3 |
| 4 | MSU | 11/4, A | miss | 11/11, H | n/a | L by 4, H | L by 7, A | miss | 11/18, A | 10/21, A | 10/14, H | miss | 10/28, H | miss | 11/25, H | MSU | 4 |
| 5 | M | 10/21, H | 11/18, H | 11/25, A | W by 4, A | n/a | miss | L by 18, H | 11/11, H | 10/14, H | 11/4, A | miss | miss | miss | 10/28, A | M | 5 |
| 6 | Iowa | W by 2, A | 11/11, H | 11/4, A | W by 7, H | miss | n/a | 11/18, A | miss | miss | 10/28, A | 11/24, H | 10/21, H | L by 29, A | miss | Iowa | 6 |
| 7 | PU | miss | 10/14, H | miss | miss | W by 18, A | 11/18, H | n/a | miss | 11/25, A | L by 14, A | 10/28, A | 11/11, H | 11/4, A | 10/21, H | PU | 7 |
| 8 | MD | 11/25, A | 10/21, H | W by 48, H | 11/18, H | 11/11, A | miss | miss | n/a | 10/28, A | L by 7, H | miss | 10/14, A | miss | 11/4, H | MD | 8 |
| 9 | IU | W by 31, H | 11/4, A | W by 28, A | 10/21, H | 10/14, A | miss | 11/25, H | 10/28, H | n/a | miss | miss | miss | 11/11, H | 11/18, A | IU | 9 |
| 10 | MN | miss | 11/25, A | miss | 10/14, A | 11/4, H | 10/28, H | W by 14, H | W by 7, A | miss | n/a | 11/11, A | 11/18, H | 10/21, A | miss | MN | 10 |
| 11 | UNL | 11/18, H | W by 21, A | 10/14, A | miss | miss | 11/24, A | 10/28, H | miss | miss | 11/11, H | n/a | 11/4, A | L by 22, H | L by 10, A | UNL | 11 |
| 12 | NU | W by 24, A | W by 9, H | miss | 10/28, A | miss | 10/21, A | 11/11, A | 10/14, H | miss | 11/18, A | 11/4, H | n/a | 11/25, H | miss | NU | 12 |
| 13 | ILL | miss | 10/28, A | 11/18, H | miss | miss | W by 29, H | 11/4, H | miss | 11/11, A | 10/21, H | W by 22, A | 11/25, A | n/a | 10/14, A | ILL | 13 |
| 14 | RU | 11/11, H | miss | W by 56, A | 11/25, A | 10/28, H | miss | 10/21, A | 11/4, H | 11/18, H | miss | W by 10, H | miss | 10/14, H | n/a | RU | 14 |
| . | Team | PSU | UW | tOSU | MSU | M | Iowa | PU | MD | IU | MN | UNL | NU | ILL | RU | Team | . |
| Rank | . | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | . | Rank |
What stands out to me about this is how ridiculously light Wisconsin's schedule is. Not only do they miss the current top-3 teams in the B1G-E, but they also get their four toughest games (M, IA, PU, UMD) at home. Their toughest road-trips are Indiana and Minnesota.
Among the top-4:
- Wisconsin plays none of the others.
- The other three each have two games.
Among the top-6:
- Wisconsin has two home games.
- The other five each have four games including at least two road games.
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All kidding aside, Wisconsin should steam roll their schedule. They will go into the Big Ten Ccg fired up, and if they win that... they will probably have to be Bama bait.
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The Big Ten cross-over schedule needs to be redone so that the top 4 teams from the west always play 2 out of the top 4 teams from the east each year. 1 game at home. 1 away. And vice versa for the top 4 teams in the east.
For example, Wisc could have a schedule like this
Year 1: @PSU. Mich, @MD
Year 2. PSU, @Mich, MD
Year 3: @OSU, MSU, @Rut
Year 4: OSU, @MSU, Rut
Year 5: @PSU. Mich, @Indy
Year 6. PSU, @Mich, Indy
Year 7: @OSU, MSU, @MD
Year 8: OSU, @MSU, MD
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Week 6 composite computer rankings (94 computers - last week in parentheses)
1. Clemson (1)
2. Alabama (2)
3. Georgia (3)
4. PENN STATE (4)
5. OHIO STATE (9)
6. Washington (8)
7. Washington State (15)
8. TCU (7)
9. Miami (11)
10. WISCONSIN (12)
11. Notre Dame (13)
12. USC (10)
13. Central Florida (16)
14. MICHIGAN (5)
15. Auburn (17)
16. Oklahoma State (14)
17. Oklahoma (6)
18. San Diego State (19)
19. MICHIGAN STATE (-)
20. Virginia Tech (18)
21. Stanford (24)
22. NC State (25)
23. IOWA (-)
24. Texas Tech (-)
25. South Florida (23)
42. Indiana (46)
46. Maryland (33)
48. Purdue (57)
54. Minnesota (38)
64. Northwestern (66)
66. Nebraska (58)
96. Illinois (90)
106. Rutgers (106)
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I love that MSU and Iowa are ranked. It felt so wrong to have 4 in the top 10, and only the same 4 in the top 30.
I've made the argument that the B1G was missing the "Baron Class" and this year it felt very pronounced that that was still the case. (With Wisconsin replacing Nebby as King of the West.)
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1. Penn State - We will find out over the month of October if the rankings warranted. Lets gel online, lets gel.
2. Wisconsin - Purdue is a crafty heart filled team this year, lets see how the Badgers handle them AT HOME.
3. Ohio State - Based on potential.
4. Michigan State - Mark found the spark, or so it seems.
5. Michigan - No Offense intended?
6. Iowa - Is it when or if the upset in Kinnick happens this year?
7. Indiana - If Lagow would manage a game, just one. I believe the nation would see what we 10's see in this team.
8. Purdue - Damn that HC hire. Hope he sticks around a few years.
9. Maryland - Teams got grit, just the the horses.
10. Minnesotta - Row row row your boat gentle down the stream ... into next season.
11. Northwestern - Injuries? youth? I don't know either.
12. Nebraska - WTF
13. Illinois - is it basketball season yet? Is that even a statement I can make about Illinois anymore?
14. Rutgers - As an enemy of Rutgers athletic I'm ok with this.