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I honestly have no idea anymore.
After seeing Iowa, which didn’t have a B1G win better than at home against Minnesota, dismantle Ohio State I really don’t know how you can rank these teams with any confidence at this point.
After all, the Hawkeyes lost at Northwestern and were 1-3 in the B1G West just two weeks ago. Are we really saying that Iowa is all of the sudden a better team than Ohio State?
What about Michigan State? After the Spartans lost to Northwestern, yet they won a hard-fought battle against Penn State.
And what about Rutgers? Are the Scarlet Knights really worthy of moving into the top eight of these rankings after beating Maryland?
The B1G transitive property is so messed up right now that there’s really no real argument that can be made on that front. It’ll give you a headache just thinking about it.
So don’t. Just think about how much you disagree with these rankings.
14. Illinois (LW: 14)
This week was crazy, but it wasn’t crazy enough for Illinois to move out of the last spot.
13. Minnesota (LW: 13)
Nobody expected the Gophers to go into Ann Arbor and pull out a victory, but still. Nobody expected P.J. Fleck’s passing offense to rank 118th in FBS heading into the second week of November, either. After an undefeated start, the Gophers are now in serious jeopardy of missing a bowl for the first time since 2011.
12. Indiana (LW: 12)
Typical. So, so typical. Indiana looks like it’s going to hang around against an elite team, only to completely collapse down the stretch. Same old story. I think the Hoosiers are better than their 0-6 conference record, but it’s hard to justify such a woeful start to B1G play. Unless IU can sweep Illinois, Rutgers and Purdue, that brief bowl streak will come to an end.
11. Maryland (LW: 8)
So, um, raise your hand if you thought two months ago that Rutgers would beat Maryland. Stop it. You’re lying. This was supposed to be a gimme for the Terps before that gauntlet finish to the season. Instead, it was a reminder that Rutgers is much improved, and Maryland is still without a capable healthy quarterback and much of a defense.
10. Purdue (LW: 10)
Here’s the good news. Purdue ended its losing streak in convincing fashion at home. Here’s the bad news. Purdue is heading into the second week of November and its only B1G wins were against Illinois and Minnesota. Unless the Boilers pull off an upset in one of the next two weeks, it’ll be without a bowl berth after such a promising start. Here’s some other good news. Perhaps that keeps Jeff Brohm in West Lafayette for at least another year.
9. Rutgers (LW: 11)
Go figure that the Knights will head into the second week of November with a .500 record in conference play. Bizarre. Rutgers has made big-time strides on the defensive side, most noticeably in the ground game (on both sides of the ball). Credit Chris Ash for getting the program out of the basement in Year 2, and for at least putting the team in position to have bowl eligibility hope.
8. Nebraska (LW: 9)
Wait, how did Nebraska move up a spot after losing at home to Northwestern? That’s what kind of week it was in the B1G. The Huskers haven’t lost to any team below them on this list. They do still have three conference wins, though the losses were ugly. It’s interesting to think about where this team would be at if Tanner Lee cut down on his mistakes, but we’ll never know that, no matter how much Bob Diaco wishes we could.
7. Michigan (LW: 6)
Why isn’t Michigan higher on this list? The Wolverines have zero wins against Power 5 teams with a winning record. In fact, the combined conference record of the B1G teams they beat is 6-18. Michigan’s best win of 2017 is against a Florida team that looks like a complete disaster. Beating up on Minnesota is nice, but until the Wolverines can show that they can beat an elite foe, they won’t crack the top four anytime soon.
6. Northwestern (LW: 5)
In the last month, the Wildcats beat two teams ranked higher than them on this list, and their other two victories were on the road. If the Cats just had a decent showing against Duke or Penn State, they’d probably be ranked right now. So why did they fall a spot in the rankings? Well, their thrilling victories weren’t anything like what Iowa did to Ohio State last weekend. Yes, the Wildcats squeaked out home wins vs. MSU and Iowa, but if we’re betting on someone to win a neutral site game tomorrow, I’d still take the latter two teams against Northwestern.
5. Iowa (LW: 7)
Ok, so let’s preface Iowa’s ranking by going back in time two weeks ago. The Hawkeyes were 1-3 in B1G play having just lost to Northwestern in a disastrous offensive performance. Let’s fast forward one week to Iowa beating Minnesota. At home. By a touchdown. So heading into November, the Hawkeyes’ best B1G win was at home against Minnesota.
Having said all of that, what happened on Saturday in Iowa City was wild. Ohio State was a 17-point favorite when it rolled into Iowa, but that was an afterthought following the third quarter. Here’s the thing. Iowa might’ve been the best team in college football on Saturday. But that was one day. One incredibly impressive day. If the Hawkeyes can finish 2017 like they finished the 2016 regular season, they’ll be rising even more on this list.
4. Penn State (LW: 2)
From No. 1 to No. 4 in just a couple weeks. That’s life in the B1G this year. After two straight devastating losses, the Lions’ Playoff hopes are unofficially gone. Once again, Penn State couldn’t establish the run. That, plus a few Trace McSorley interceptions, prevented the Lions from staving off the upset attempt. How does Penn State finish a season that started with such promise? All we know is that however the Lions finish 2017, it’ll be with a handshake.
James Franklin sprints off field to tell player to “GO SHAKE HANDS!” after #24 Michigan State upsets #7 Penn State 😳 #MSUvsPSU pic.twitter.com/DnI8pFcvY9
— High&OutsideSports (@HighandOutside_) November 4, 2017
3. Ohio State (LW: 1)
Woof. There’s no other way to say it, but Iowa looked like Clemson 2.0. Contrary to what a few nameless writers said, Ohio State does not have any Playoff hope left. None. Zilch. Nada. Two-loss Playoff teams don’t exist, and neither do Playoff teams that get blown out in Iowa City. Having said that, Ohio State still controls its own destiny to a B1G Championship. Football is weird, man.
2. Michigan State (LW: 4)
Another B1G East power goes down at the hands of Michigan State. Imagine that. For the second time this season, the Spartans won as a significant underdog (9 points). Perhaps they can pull that feat off again on Saturday in Columbus. How crazy it would be to be talking about MSU taking down Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State in the same year just like it did in 2015. If that happened, MSU would have an argument to be No. 1 in these rankings.
1. Wisconsin (LW: 3)
I hear you, Wisconsin haters. The Badgers haven’t played anybody yet. I get that. But consider this. In the final month of the season, the Badgers could potentially face three top-25 teams in their final four games of the season. One of those would be a B1G East champ like Michigan State or Ohio State. Add in an Iowa victory (that would look more impressive after what they did to Ohio State on Saturday) and a Michigan win and we can stop asking this question.
Stop it. Just stop.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.