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ESPN’s FPI gives slim conference championship odds to B1G West contenders
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Many analysts anticipated the B1G East would be one of the toughest divisions in college football this season, but no one expected what has happened in the B1G West.
As Michigan and Ohio State continue on a collision course that will likely determine the B1G East, the B1G West has been headlined by unfulfilled expectations. In particular, the Wisconsin Badgers were unable to live up to pre-season hype. Though still in the running for a trip to the B1G Championship Game, the Badgers are a long cry from contenders for the College Football Playoff.
Northwestern currently leads the B1G West division with a conference record of 5-1. However, the Wildcats face Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois to finish the season. Purdue at 4-2, Wisconsin, also at 4-2, and Iowa at 3-3 are the rest of the teams in the running for the West.
While the division continues to be a muddled mess heading into the final stretch of the season, it is clear that whoever wins the division will likely face a tough challenge in the B1G Championship Game. ESPN’s updated FPI included odds to win a conference championship, and no West team received great odds to win the B1G.
Northwestern was given the best odds at 9.6%. From there, the odds dropped drastically to 3.3% for Purdue, 1.3% for Wisconsin, and 0.8% for Iowa. On the other side of the conference, Michigan is given a 66.7% chance to win the B1G with Ohio State given a 17.9% chance to win the conference.
Will any team from the West be able to compete with the East winner in the B1G Championship Game?
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.