Ad Disclosure
ESPN’s SP+ updated after B1G’s Week 3: Ohio State loses top spot
Published:
Ohio State’s reign atop ESPN’s SP+ standings is over.
The Buckeyes have been No. 1 all season long — even before the Big Ten started its season — but Alabama is now the No. 1 team according to the forward-projecting model.
Ohio State falls to No. 2 after a 49-27 victory over Rutgers in which the defense struggled at times. The Scarlett Knights were never threatening the upset, but their three quarterbacks combined to complete 34-of-49 passes. Rutgers running back Isaih Pacheco averaged 9.7 yards per carry.
Another some-what surprising fall is Indiana. After handling business vs. Michigan, the Hoosiers dropped from No. 25 in SP+ to No. 29.
Here’s a list of the Big Ten teams who made it into the top 25:
- No. 2 Ohio State
- No. 4 Wisconsin
- No. 14 Penn State
- No. 16 Iowa
- No. 18 Michigan
As the season goes on, teams like Indiana and Northwestern will become more likely to pass struggling programs like Penn State, Iowa and Michigan as preseason projections are slowly filtered out of the model.
Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Nebraska and Purdue are all within striking distance of the top 25.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.