When you take on the task of ranking the Big Ten you can very easily find yourself going down the rabbit hole. I’ve had to work extremely hard not to let that happen or else this could end up being one of those 4,000-word 17-minute snooze fest reads. Sometimes brevity is best. So, this is my attempt at doing that while still trying to make my point. And because it covers 18 teams it does get lengthy.
First off, what do you base your rankings on. Is it the coach, the talent of the team, the schedule, NIL funds, or blue-blood status. It’s all of it. That’s why you won’t find Ohio State in the top slot.
Not a lot of stats, but let’s go.
1. Oregon (12-0) – Dan Lanning is one of the young up-and-coming coaches, the next Nick Saban perhaps. He has a ton of talent to work with thanks to Nike founder and billionaire Phil Knight. The cherry on top, Oregon has more uniforms in their closet than ‘Sybil’ has personalities. This could and should be the year of the Duck.
2. Indiana (11-1) – I tried to Google Curt Cignetti, but a photo of him popped up saying access denied because I’m a Monkee’s fan. I thought it was a joke, but then I saw his face. Okay, it’s a lame joke. But Indiana is no joke and Cignetti has made me a believer, which I want to hate but can’t. The Hoosiers will compete for the top spot again this year. But the ball must bounce your way to win it all and that happened for Indiana last season. It won’t happen twice.
3. Michigan (10-2) – I love Kyle Whittingham. He’s extremely underrated and he was my choice for Nebraska before they hired Rhule. When Whittingham was hired, that night Ryan Day cried himself to sleep. Whittingham will take a good Wolverines team and make them real snot-knockers, taking down the Buckeyes in his first season. Michigan made a great hire who will eventually force Day to the NFL.
4. USC (9-3) – Lincoln Riley is starting his 5th season at USC and has yet to take the Trojans to the playoffs. It’s surprising because that was the sole purpose for his hiring. Sorry to say, but his record is a dark cloud in sunny LA. His Achillies heel has been defense. He may have solved that with the hiring of Gary Patterson. The schedule is challenging with games against Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana. It’s why they are ranked at number 4 and straddling the playoff fence.
5. Penn State (9-3) – I like Matt Campbell and what he did at Iowa State was amazing but he’s getting way too much credit as a Nittany Lion. The only reason I have PSU ranked this high is because Campbell is a good coach and he has a cakewalk schedule in his first year. As for his team, he brings in Iowa State talent that couldn’t win the Big XII and inherits leftover talent form a team that went 6-6. It doesn’t translate as well as the pundits are making it.
6. Iowa (9-3) – I struggled mightily ranking 6 through 9 and I’m not sure you can’t shuffle them around any way you want. Love or hate the Hawkeyes, Kirk Ferentz consistently wins with the worst quarterback play in the Big Ten. They say defense wins championships. Well, if the Hawks had any kind of offense to go with what is typically more than solid defense and elite special teams, they would have been in the playoffs more than once. They earned the 6th spot due to Ferentz and for no other reason.
7. Ohio State (8-4)– Ryan Day is overrated. He can recruit and win with top talent but give him the team Cignetti inherited at Indiana and he falls flat. I don’t like his latest OC hire, and the schedule finally catches up with him. With games at Texas, Iowa, Indiana, USC, and Nebraska before the Michigan game, plus Oregon and Michigan at home, there are at least three losses hiding under Day’s bed. Day has his worst season as head coach of Ohio State.
8. Nebraska (8-4) – Which was Matt Rule’s bigger revelation, the B1G kicking his butt for three seasons before it rattled his brain and he addressed the trenches, or that mini-Mahomes and his family were a major hindrance. It’s early, but at least half the problem has been resolved for sure. But the Huskers will finally field an offensive line that will lean on teams and run them over. Led by a true Nebraska-style quarterback, someone explosive who can both pass and run and isn’t scared to do either. Schedule – we don’t care about no stinking schedule.
9. Washington (8-4) – Man, I’m all over the board on this team. I think they have a good coach in Jedd Fisch. They have a super talented QB in Demond Williams. They were a team on the rise last season. So, what’s the problem. A 2-9 Big Ten road record and a QB whose head space I’m not sure about. Williams was headed to LSU until Washington put a kibosh to it and made him stay in Seattle, which cost him $2 mill. Can you see there being hard feelings? Will there be finger pointing if things don’t go well? It may be nothing, but then again real trouble could be brewing.
10. UCLA (8-4) – If new head coach Bob Chesney has half the success Cignetti had at Indiana, he’ll be a sneaky good hire. Chesney is using Cig’s template with bringing in his own portal players and has retained his playoff experienced QB. The school has bumped up its NIL funds to be more competitive, which helps as well. Considering their schedule, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bruins jump up into that 6 to 9 grouping.
11. Illinois (7-5) – Brett Bielema has proven he is a Big Ten Coach. Will Iowa make a run at him when Ferentz hangs it up? He has the Illini on solid ground, building around a Big Ten style offensive line. However, the ‘pig farmer’ can’t sell enough bacon to buy a defensive line. Thus, the switch to the 3-3-5 defense. I’m skeptical. But he did bring in a special DC to run it in Bobby Hauck. We will see, but until then, they are number eleven.
12. Minnesota (7-5) – I can’t believe that ‘row the boat’ crap really works. But evidently it does because PJ Fleck continues to get 8 to 9 wins out of his Gophers. I don’t like the guy, but he’s cut from the same cloth as Ferentz. He just gets the best out of what he has. If Minnesota ever decided they wanted to get serious and really support him, he could be trouble. But I think he’s gone as far as he can. He continues to look for a better gig. Until then he’ll be a thorn in whoever’s side he can, AKA, Matt Rhule.
13. Wisconsin (6-6) – While I’m not a Luke Fickell fan, even I’m disappointed with what he’s put on the field the last three seasons. It almost looked like he started getting things right at the end of last season with the wins over Washington and Illinois. I’d like to say if he gets it close enough to right this season, they’ll keep him around. But with the hiring of Eichorst as AD the future has already been written. Jason Eck is in the cards.
14. Northwestern (5-7) – Remember back in the day when Jim Mora Sr. said, “Playoffs – playoffs?” That was me when I heard Northwestern had hired Chip Kelly as their OC. “Kelly – Kelley?” I thought David Braun had been doing a stellar job, but what he built and what Kelly does are two different things. So, I’m curious as to where this is going. It makes no sense…until it does. I mean who builds a new 35,000-seat-capacity stadium in the Big Ten? That doesn’t make sense either. Or does it? With every game now on television and attendance falling off everywhere, it might be the smart move.
15. Mayland (4-8) – The talent on this team shows Mike Locksley’s recruiting chops. Now if that talent only equated to wins. Locksley hasn’t been able to figure out how to get all that talent to play as a team and if he did, he might be the Terrapin coach again next year. But as of now I doubt he’ll make it through the season. The big question for Maryland will be if their new HC can retain QB Malik Washngton. Whatever wins they do have this season will be because of him. He’s a keeper.
16. Rutgers (4-8) – There isn’t a coach in the nation better at teaching players how to throw rocks than Greg Schiano. I’ve said it over- and-over and will continue to say it. Playing Rutgers is like being in a rock fight. I don’t know if Schiano is the answer, but then again, I can’t see anyone else having success in Piscataway. Especially with their athletic department in the red. Every time I hear the word relegate, I think of Rutgers.
17. Michigan State (3-9) – I’ve heard more than one person say Pat Fitzgearld was a downgrade from Jonathan Smith. At first, I was like … hmm? But the more I look at it, the more I’m inclined to agree. Yes, he did more with less at Northwestern but over his last four seasons he was 14-31. Things won’t be any easier in East Lansing. Big brother is going to thump knots on his head. I expect it to get ugly before seasons end.
18. Purdue (2-10) – It’s hard to imagine Barry Odom ever getting the Boilermakers over the hump. It just goes to show what a great coach Jeff Brohm is. Sharing a state with Curt Cignetti and Marcus Freeman along with their money-making machines isn’t conducive to success. Someone needs to except the fact Purdue will always be third fiddle. It’s a long, long road out of the hole and I’m not sure Odom is the guy or has the support to get it done.
I don’t think I’m too far off base with my picks or my records. My ‘holy crap’ pick is Ohio State at number 7. I have Illinois lower than some might, and I have Michigan and UCLA doing better than most people think. But I’m high on Whittingham and Chesney. And of course, being a Husker fan, I have them at 8-4 rather than 6-6 or 7-5. Truthfully, it was hard for me not to have them at 9-3 with a win over Iowa. But I just won’t believe it until it happens.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
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