How do you even sort out the Big Ten after Week 9? It’s a mess, and not the clean, tidy kind.
One week USC gets hammered at Wisconsin, then turns around and does the same thing to THE Ohio State University. Wisconsin looked like it might have life again, then Kirk put them right back in the torture chamber.
Iowa followed up Minnesota’s mistake-filled disaster in Minneapolis, and then Minnesota went and channeled its inner-Buffalo Bills. So here we are, trying to rank a league that keeps flipping itself upside down.
At the top, UCLA gets the nod at No. 1.
The Bruins are still unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in league play, and that alone pushes them to the front. The Nevada game wasn’t exactly dazzling, but that wasn’t much of a surprise.
Still, the road ahead is loaded with traps: a trip east to Minneapolis, an early kickoff, then Michigan in two weeks, and USC still waiting on the schedule. UCLA has the inside track, but nothing about the finish line looks easy.
Indiana slides in at No. 2 after finding another way to win in overtime. The Hoosiers are 8-1 and 5-1, and even if they’re not as sharp as they were a year ago, the culture around that team is real.
They had to replace their quarterback late, their special teams were a mess all day, and somehow they still blasted a 60-yarder to force the tie. Sometimes lucky beats good, and that’s been Indiana’s formula this season.
Now they get a bye.
Ohio State lands at No. 3, but this is where things start to feel shaky. The Buckeyes are 6-2 and 4-1, and the margin for error is getting thin.
A third loss would sink the ship. Next up is Oregon, the west coast team coming east after a huge win in Eugene.
USC checks in at No. 4, which is about as strange as it sounds after what happened in Madison. But the Trojans answered with a win over Ohio State, and that gives them a little proof of life after looking lost against Wisconsin. Shoulder shrug.
Iowa is back in the mix at No. 5 after a complete performance against Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes were in control from start to finish, and they’ve really had the Badgers’ number lately.
Minnesota falls just behind at No. 6, and that one stings. The Gophers had the game in hand with a 60-yard kick, then let it slip away in overtime.
Indiana’s clock management helped, sure, but Minnesota still had a program-defining win in front of it and let it disappear. That’s the kind of loss that lingers.
Oregon comes in at No. 7, just ahead of Northwestern at No. 8 because the Ducks beat the Wildcats. Oregon still has some life, but now it has to go to a very angry Ohio State team.
Northwestern had its chances in Eugene, leading by 14 late in the first half and by 10 early in the third quarter. But four field goals weren’t enough, and Oregon made the plays that mattered.
Washington is No. 9 after an eye-opening win in Lincoln. The Huskies pulled off an incredible road victory, and the defining moment was that insane 4th and 18 conversion. After that, Nebraska’s unraveling took center stage.
Illinois sits at No. 10, and that’s a solid rebound after the 2-3 start. After the Purdue loss, the Illini looked buried, but they bounced back with a close win at Michigan State and then added wins over Oregon and Maryland. There’s still something here.
Michigan is No. 11, and the note on the Wolverines is simple: meh. Whatever. They’re not very good, and they needed everything they had to get past Rutgers.
Wisconsin drops to No. 12 after getting embarrassed by Iowa. That was a rough one for the Badgers, and the numbers from The Morning After only made it uglier. Iowa has them in a total head lock.
Nebraska lands at No. 13, and this is where the frustration really spills over. The Huskers should be ranked much higher, maybe even in the top half of the league, because they’re good enough.
But they keep finding new ways to lose. Against Washington, they led 7-3, gave up a 4th and 18 heave, blitzed the corner on the next snap with the head coach overriding the defensive coordinator, missed the tackle, then threw a pick-6 15 seconds later to fall behind 10.
Up four to down 10 in 30 seconds. That’s the story now.
They’ve led going into the fourth quarter in every game this year, and of their 59 losses since 2018, 40 have been by one score. The remaining schedule feels almost scripted: an agonizing loss to Illinois, a 7-point win over Rutgers, then late leads over Ohio State and Iowa before losing at the end.
Penn State is No. 14 after Matthew got on the board with his first Big Ten win over Purdue, who still can’t stop anyone. Purdue is No. 15 for exactly that reason. Michigan State sits at No. 16, with the question now being whether Pat Fitzgerald can channel all of that Iowa hate into Michigan.
Rutgers is No. 17, and while the results keep going the wrong way, there’s at least some fight there. That’s a stretch, but it’s something.
Maryland rounds out the rankings at No. 18 after another rough week. You should also leave.
ASAP.
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