With three weeks left, we have four teams in great positions to make the CFP. Surprisingly, the matchup of the year won’t be “The Game” between OSU and Michigan to end the season. Meanwhile, Purdue has solidified itself as the cellar dweller, with little hope for another win.
The rest of the league is a cluster of middling teams, with one that has a legitimate chance to reach nine wins. Let’s get to this week’s power rankings.
Top 4
1) Oregon – The class of the league who has only been gaining steam since it’s victory over the Buckeyes.
2) Ohio State – After a too-close-for-comfort, come-from-behind win against Nebraska in Week 8, the Buckeyes made easy work of the Boilers last week. Gus Johnson was thrilled calling the game
3) Penn State – Indiana almost took the number three spot, but Penn State stays here despite their close loss to Ohio State, where they had multiple goal-line opportunities. They also rank ahead of the Hoosiers in the CFP standings.
4) Indiana – The Hoosiers had their toughest test of the year at home against the defending champion Wolverines. That win basically guarantees them a CFP spot if they can win their season finale against 1-win Purdue, no matter what happens next week.
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Best of the rest
5) Illinois– The Fighting Illini are the only team outside the top four with a realistic shot at nine wins. With three winnable games left, including hosting four-win MSU on Saturday, this team is coming off a bye, healthier and motivated after two straight losses.
6) Iowa – Eight wins are there for the taking on what many will say is a disappointing season for a team that had a favorable schedule
7) Minnesota – Gophers fans are worried about a potential 6-6 finish with tough matchups against Penn State at home and Wisconsin on the road.
8) Wisconsin -The Badgers are staring down a three-game losing streak, but with only one win needed in their final three games, their bowl chances are solid. A rivalry game at home against Minnesota to end the season could be pivotal. I’ve ranked them above Rutgers due to their decisive win in Piscataway.
9) Rutgers – After starting 4-0, Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights broke a four-game losing streak by defeating a red-hot Minnesota team last Saturday. Now one win away from bowl eligibility, Rutgers looks well-positioned to make it.
10) UCLA– Despite being 4-5, UCLA’s recent performances are impressive. They picked up a huge road win at Rutgers, followed by a victory over a determined Nebraska team in Lincoln. They capped it off by beating Iowa at its own game last Friday night. Winning two of their last three, including a home finale against Fresno State, seems very possible.
11) Nebraska– So close to bowl eligibility, yet so far. The Huskers let a fourth-quarter lead slip against OSU and had numerous red-zone trips against UCLA with no points to show. Still, there’s hope for GBR nation—I think they’ll notch win number 6 against Wisconsin, ending their bowl game drought. Dana Holgorsen has his shot to turn this offense in the right direction.
12) Michigan– Coming off a win over MSU and game it easily could have won at Indiana, I will give Wolverines the nod over Washington. Washington has had its doors blown off too many times. Michigan plays a bad Northwestern team at home to get to bowl eligibility and that seems probable. A bowl game is a must for defending national champs.
13) Washington– If you look up “average” in the dictionary, you might see the 2024 Huskies. With Will Rogers at QB, the offense has been underwhelming, lacking big plays and struggling with red-zone efficiency. Defensively, they’ve bent—and broken—far too often. Their season depends on a must-win home game against UCLA to keep bowl hopes alive.
14) Michigan State – With two winnable home games to end the year, the Spartans have a great chance to make a bowl game in Jonathan Smith‘s first year as head coach. Expectations were low with so many new faces and unknowns, but they’ve often been their own worst enemy this season.
The Disappointments
15) USC -Once a dominant force, USC now faces the real possibility of missing a bowl game. All that talent and money behind the engine of Trojan football and Lincoln Riley has somehow managed to do possibly the worst job with what he has in the league. They HAVE to beat Nebraska this weekend and and then UCLA on the road before hosting Notre Dame.
16) Northwestern – David Braun led this team to eight wins last year, but reaching four this season seems like the best-case scenario. They are what their record shows, and a bowl game looks highly unlikely.
17) Maryland – Mike Locksley has plenty of offensive talent but discipline and defense has cost the Terps this year. During preseason camp, many loved what they saw talent-wise, but the Terps couldn’t put it all together. Missing out on a bowl game seems to be in the cards this season.
18) Purdue – This team deserves its own line. What can be said about the train wreck in West Lafayette can be said about many natural disasters: it’s going to need a lot of help, and it’s not easy to look at. When even your beat writers are calling your team an ‘abomination’—bravo, Ryan Walters.
