The Big Ten returned to action this past weekend and we’re welcoming 4 new teams from the conference in our polls. Overall, it was a quiet week for most teams but a couple B1G teams flopped in their debuts against big expectations which quickly reshuffles the 2020 pecking order but also prevents an insane takeover from that conference.
Note: We are only including teams who have taken the field in 2020.
18 Stripes Top 20 Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 48-17 Win at Tennessee |
| 2 | Clemson | 6-0 | 47-21 Win vs. Syracuse |
| 3 | Ohio State (NR) | 1-0 | 52-17 Win vs. Nebraska |
| 4 | Georgia (-1) | 3-1 | BYE |
| 5 | Notre Dame (-1) | 5-0 | 45-3 Win at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Wisconsin (NR) | 1-0 | 45-7 Win vs. Illinois |
| 7 | Michigan (NR) | 1-0 | 49-24 Win at Minnesota |
| 8 | Cincinnati (-2) | 4-0 | 42-13 Win at SMU |
| 9 | Oklahoma State (-2) | 4-0 | 24-21 Win vs. Iowa State |
| 10 | Texas A&M (-5) | 3-1 | BYE |
| 11 | Florida (-3) | 2-1 | BYE |
| 12 | BYU (-2) | 6-0 | 52-14 Win vs. Texas State |
| 13 | Miami (-1) | 5-1 | 19-14 Win vs. Virginia |
| 14 | North Carolina | 4-1 | 48-21 Win vs. NC State |
| 15 | Kansas State (+1) | 4-1 | 55-14 Win vs. Kansas |
| 16 | Marshall (+1) | 5-0 | 20-9 Win vs. FAU |
| 17 | Oklahoma (+1) | 3-2 | 33-14 Win at TCU |
| 18 | Indiana (NR) | 1-0 | 36-35 Win vs. Penn State |
| 19 | Coastal Carolina | 5-0 | 28-14 Win vs. Georgia Southern |
| 20 | SMU (-11) | 5-1 | 42-13 Win vs. Cincinnati |
OUT: Iowa State, Memphis, Virginia Tech, NC State
IN: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana
Iowa State trailed Oklahoma State most of the day and couldn’t complete the comeback. If we assume Kansas State will lose again, the Pokes are in the driver’s seat to both win the league and be the only playoff contender from the Big 12. Programming note, they face Texas/K-State/Oklahoma over their next 3 games so we’ll know soon enough.
Virginia Tech and NC State were pretenders in our rankings and everyone knew it. The Hokies lost at Wake Forest (gross) and the Wolfpack were blown out by their in-state rivals. I imagine this is the last we’ll see of either team in our top 20.
Memphis beat Temple this week but drops out because…
Four Big Ten teams have been added to the mix. Ohio State toyed with Nebraska for a good long while before pulling away and looking like the Buckeyes we’ve grown accustomed to in the past.
Graham Mertz dazzled in his debut for Wisconsin which is scary for the league if their defense is up to par. But, he also tested positive for Covid recently and so did the 3rd stringer (starter Jack Coan is hurt too) so maybe the Badgers won’t even play a quarterback for a few weeks?
Michigan looked to be in a game with Minnesota for a while but the shorth-handed (due to Covid) Gophers simply could not stop anyone. The Fighting Harbaugh’s averaged 8.5 yards per play powering a blowout victory on the road.
Indiana’s amazing goal line dive to defeat Penn State might be the play of the year. That’s a bummer for GameDay this weekend but don’t sleep on the Nittany Lions just yet. Even in defeat they more than doubled up Indiana in total yardage.
Week 8 Recap
Alabama beats Tennessee yet again, but loses star receiver Jaylen Waddle for the year due to a broken ankle. Clemson continued their familiar struggles with Syracuse but pulled away late for a decent score line.
Cincinnati scored one of the biggest wins of the year with a blowout over previously undefeated SMU. Now, the Bearcats are in position to be the G5 team that could crash the playoffs.
Marshall continues to linger as That Team No One Has Watched Yet.
I have caught some of Coastal Carolina this year. Great uniform colors, in my opinion!
***
AP Top 25: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Florida, BYU, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, North Carolina, Kansas State, Indiana, Penn State, Marshall, Coastal Carolina, USC, SMU, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Boise State
SP+ Top 25: Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, BYU, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, North Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma State, USC, Washington, Texas A&M, Miami, Boise State, Virginia Tech, LSU, Texas, Iowa State, Indiana
Week 9 Games to Watch
Note: This week is all sorts of bad. Maybe take advantage of a Saturday Halloween and enjoy the spookiness with your kids? I know that’s what I’ll be doing most of Saturday.Â
Memphis (+6.5) at Cincinnati
The Bearcats return home after a big win over SMU as near touchdown favorites over a Memphis team who lost to said SMU a couple weeks ago. This could be Cincinnati’s last major test before finishing the season with 3 straight road games.
Northwestern (+2.5) at Iowa
New OC Mike Bajakian’s debut with Northwestern went off swimmingly as the Wildcats piled up 537 yards (their most against a Power 5 teams since 11/12/16 versus Purdue) and 43 points against feckless Maryland. Iowa is quietly reeling from a loss at Purdue. Maybe this is an okay game??
Texas (+3.5) at Oklahoma State
This is one of those games where I feel like the Big 12 is going to balance itself out a little bit. If the Cowboys win they are in good position to win just their 2nd regular season conference title since the Big 12 got rid of their divisions. If Texas loses, they drop to 2-3 in league play and it’s officially hot seat season in Austin. I kind of feel like the Horns pulls this one out.
Ohio State (-12.5) at Penn State
Despite their loss last week, Penn State remains plenty dangerous. Even without a rocking full capacity crowd it would be so very 2020 to see Ohio State trip up here.
If Georgia were actually 4-0, I would have them ranked ahead of ND too.
Then Alabama would drop down to #4, so net would be the same
Indiana plays Rutgers this weekend. One of them will be 2-0 and at least tied for the Big Ten East lead after 2 weeks. And it’s not impossible for them to lead the division outright instead, as OSU plays Penn State and Michigan plays rival MSU. All of this is to say: IU will probably end up blowing this game, dropping out of the rankings, and end up never returning to the top 25 for another 15 years.
I hope everyone is ready for a couple years of really, really, really bad Sparty. Like zero or one-win Sparty.
I’ve been ready for this since the day I started caring about ND Football. I have hated every person associated with every sports team at that school for so so long. Our win over them to ruin their perfect 2013 season remains one of my favorite victories (in hindsight) of the past decade.
Agreed. I’ve been to two games there and their fans are the worst I’ve ever encountered by a mile.
And to add on, hooray from the prior generations of Sparty haters. They were a nasty lot then, they have been a nasty lot now
I’m surprised you’re seemingly so bullish on Penn State this week, given their injuries. I think they’re about the get blown out.
(Then again, my betting record for CFB this fall is way down, so maybe that continues..)
Get Georgia the hell out of here.
BC (+28) at Clemson just got interesting.
Probably not taking bets on that anymore…
My book moved it to -24 now. Feel like Trevor Lawrence should be worth a lot more than 4 points…
Maybe because it was never going to be more than a half of Trevor Lawrence?
Ha, perhaps so.