B1G Power Rankings [BLOG]
November is finally here which means it's the final month of the college football regular season and there are several key questions about our B1G teams that I will answer before revealing this week's power rankings (as well as the new BCS Standings).
Q. Will Michigan State beat the Buckeyes and if so, are they a lock for the College Football Playoff?
A. Yes, the Spartans will win. Ohio State showed a couple of weeks ago in State College that when they face a great defense on the road, J.T. Barrett can be more than controlled. He can be stifled… No, the Spartans are not a lock for the Playoff if they win on Saturday. They will most likely go because of the B1G's money and the desire from some to see a 1-loss conference champion in over a 2-loss SEC team, but the eye test suggests they are not one of the top four teams in the country. I have a problem with Spartan fans basing their argument that they are one of the best teams in the country on the fact that other teams will lose to other great teams, instead of the belief that their Spartans are one of the four best teams in the country. How the committee sees that is one of the great mysteries of the new system.
Q. Hey, Michigan crushed Indiana. Can they make a bowl game now?
A. Yes, and the great thing for Michigan fans is they don't have to worry about that affecting Brady Hoke's job security because the new athletic director will almost assuredly fire him. Only running the table, including wins at Ohio State and a decisive win in a bowl game could possibly save Hoke's job. But as far as making a bowl game is concerned, Northwestern is extremely vulnerable right now and extremely beatable. Maryland is clearly the better team, but considering Michigan has home field advantage, that appears to be a tossup. If Michigan wins those two games, they're in.
Q. Will you finally admit that your team "We Are Penn State" sucks?
A. Not yet, but I'm getting close. The offense is atrocious. That's for certain and that's the one part of the game I thought would make them a lock for a bowl. The offensive line is terrible, but the mismanagement of Christian Hackenberg by turning him into a WR screen throwing machine is mind boggling. That's what you do when you're starting a third string 3-star true freshman, not the reigning B1G Freshman of the Year who many believe could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. What keeps me from saying they suck is the defense. It's been outstanding this year. However, if they keep on losing games to B1G teams (and the B1G is terrible), don't expect me to lump them in with the rest of the B1G's average teams.
Q. Who will win the B1G West?
A. I need to know if Ameer Abdullah will play in two weeks before I decide.
So how do I see the conference halfway through the conference season?? Like this:
1. Michigan State (7-1, 4-0, last week No. 1)… Could Michigan State's schedule have setup any better? First, a victory against their archrivals from Ann Arbor. Then a bye week, not just to have extra time to celebrate the win over Michigan, but to prepare for the Buckeyes. Finally, a game against the second best team in the conference. Some say Ohio State should be favored. I say, no way in East Lansing. Expect the Spartans to move to 8-1.
2. Ohio State (7-1, 4-0, last week No. 2)… After nearly losing at Penn State the week before, the Buckeyes got right back on track with a 55-14 victory against the Fighting Illini to setup a 7-1 vs. 7-1 matchup in East Lansing this weekend. Coach Urban Meyer probably ruffled some Michigan State feathers when he said that the Spartans are not a rival, they "just got in the way last year," and I'm sure Mark Dantonio will let his players know about that quote. Not because they are rivals (because they aren't), but because Dantonio certainly doesn't feel like his team "just got in the way."
3. Nebraska (8-1, 4-1, last week No. 3)… As expected the Corn Huskers crushed Purdue convincingly at home 35-14, but the major story was starting RB Ameer Abdullah. He left in the first quarter with a sprained and bruised left knee. Without Abdullah for most of the game, Nebraska racked up just 297yds. The good news for Nebraska is that they have a bye week coming up. The bad news is that a trip to Camp Randall Stadium waits afterwards and if Abdullah is less than 100%, Nebraska's B1G Championship hopes could disappear.
4. Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1, last week No. 4) … Looks like the Badgers are back. After losing to Northwestern and struggling for far too long against Illinois, Wisconsin dispatched of the conference's newest teams by a combined score of 89-7 in the past two weeks including 37-0 against Rutgers over the weekend. While most of the B1G is focused on the de facto B1G East Championship Game this weekend in East Lansing between the Spartans and Buckeyes, let's not ignore the big matchup the week after. The de facto B1G West Championship game between these Badgers and the Nebraska Corn Huskers takes place on November 15 and it's going down in Madison. If Ameer Abdullah can't play, Wisconsin will go to the B1G Championship Game for the third time in four years.
5. Iowa (6-2, 3-1, last week No. 6)… Last week I wrote that if the Hawkeyes can establish a run game, they might be a quality B1G team. Then their top two running backs combined for 200yds on the ground en route to a 24-0 lead in the 1st quarter and a rout of Northwestern. Part of me wants to believe that this was all about how bad the Wildcats have become in the last couple of weeks. Part of me wants to believe it was all about the extra week to prepare. But 48-7 is 48-7. A road win this week could get Hawkeye fans salivating over what could happen in the final two home games of the season.
6. Minnesota (6-2, 3-1, last week No. 5)… Last week was a bye week, but the Golden Gophers lost it anyway. The last three teams that Minnesota played (Northwestern, Purdue and Illinois, whom they lost to on October 25) lost by a combined 105 points. That significantly reduces Minnesota's strength of schedule and suddenly they don't look like a lock in the top half of the B1G. With Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin to end the year, the season rides on the game this weekend at home against Iowa. Either find some form of a passing game to get win No. 7 or lose your final five games and get in the fast lane for the Quick Lane Bowl.
7. Maryland (6-3, 3-2, last week No. 7)… For Maryland, their matchup against Penn State was a rivalry game. They refused to shake the hands of Penn State players before the coin toss and started a fight before the game. More importantly, during the game they did not give up. Even with a 9pt deficit in the 4th quarter at Beaver Stadium, the Terps kept fighting and scored two touchdowns one of the nation's best defenses to win. Maryland is not a great team, but they are tough and they appear to be one of the B1G's best middle class teams.
8. Northwestern (3-5, 2-3, last week No. 8)… Definitely time to quit talking about Northwestern finishing in the top three of the West. The Wildcats went to Iowa after a bye week and got trucked 48-7. It's obvious that they were fortunate to beat Penn State by as many as they did and even more fortunate to beat Wisconsin. If I'm a Michigan fan right now and I'm hearing rumors about Northwestern's athletic director coming to Ann Arbor, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it's not true. If he decides to bring head coach Pat Fitzgerald along with him, good luck returning to the top of the conference.
9. Michigan (4-5, 2-3, last week No. 12)… A few weeks ago I saw that an ESPN writer rated Michigan as one of the ten worst programs in college football. At the time I thought it was ridiculous and now that Michigan is up to four wins, it looks even more ridiculous. The Wolverines didn't show they were "back" by beating Indiana 34-10, but they treated the Hoosiers like the bottom feeder that they are. It also may have been the coming out party for WR Amara Darboh who finished with 107yds receiving.
10. Penn State (4-4, 1-4, last week No. 9)… This offense is driving me insane. Penn State has a tremendously talented quarterback in Christian Hackenberg, but is ranked 109th in college football in points per game. In conference play (and let's not forget how poor the B1G is), the Nittany Lions are averaging fewer than 14ppg in regulation. Not even two touchdowns. I know the offensive line is terrible, but when every other pass is a WR screen, it's more than the line. It's coaching. It's play calling. When you're 9th in scoring defense, you should be better than 4-4, but the offense is where it is and Penn State is where it is.
11. Rutgers (5-4, 1-4, last week No. 10)… There's not much to say about Rutgers. They lost 37-0 at Wisconsin, racked up 63 passing yards and completed just seven of 27 passes. It was an embarrassing performance by the Scarlet Knights and a prime example of why no B1G fans were excited to see them join the conference in the first place. Oh, but at least BTN is in the New York media market now.
12. Purdue (3-6, 1-4, last week No. 11)… The Boilermakers continued to show the signs of a low level program on the rise against the Corn Huskers on Saturday. Even though Ameer Abdullah missed most of the game, they held Nebraska under 300 total yards in Lincoln. Tommy Armstrong Jr. completed less than 40% of his passes and threw two interceptions against Purdue's defense. The problem is that Purdue's quarterback was far worse. Austin Appleby finished 18/46 with a QBR of 10.8. The Boilermakers must go all in for a QB on National Signing Day to complete the turnaround to relevancy.
13. Illinois (4-5, 1-4, last week No. 13)… The Fighting Illini went to Columbus and got crushed by Ohio State. That's what happens when you are one of the worst teams in the country, you don't play defense and you can't run. Not much else to say about this team that is 4-5, going on 4-8.
14. Indiana (3-5, 0-4, last week No. 14)… Indiana is so bad, they made Michigan look good. Worst team in the B1G.
Here is my top ten for the week. 1. Mississippi State, 2. Auburn, 3. Alabama, 4. Florida State, 5. Oregon, 6. TCU, 7. Ole Miss, 8. Michigan State, 9. Kansas State, 10. Notre Dame
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/09/25/big-ten-power-rankings-blog/ Week 5
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/01/big-ten-power-rankings-blog-2/ Week 6
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/10/chapmans-b1g-power-rankings-blog/ Week 7
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/16/chapmans-b1g-power-rankings-blog-2/ Week 8
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/22/big-ten-power-rankings-blog-3/ Week 9
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/31/big-ten-power-rankings-blog-4/ Week 10
