I guess stealing signs is why Michigan could run it down Penn State's throat. Bet.
The Big Ten decided to suspend Michigan head coach and khaki enthusiast, Jim Harbaugh, for the remainder of the regular season, as if the Wolverines hadn't played without him for half the season. Of course, this had those non-Maize and Blue fans giddy with excitement with their memes and comments about cheaters and some other stuff that honestly didn't make a lot of sense. Nonetheless, Michigan went into Happy Valley and took care of business. Why, yes, Robert from Wapakoneta, J.J. McCarthy did only have 60 yards passing, but that's because he didn't need to throw it when they ran for almost 300 yards and held the ball at will.
Trolls were also giddy when Georgia and Ole Miss were tied at 14, calling the Bulldogs overrated, before they scored 38 unanswered points on their way to a 52-17 win. Washington picked up their third win over a Top 25 team, but yet sit 5th in the College Football Playoff because Florida State passed an eye test or something? Honestly, the way both of those teams are playing, they'll be bounced by whichever SEC team they face in the playoffs, so what does it matter who's fourth or fifth. Ohio State also won big on Saturday, but like Michigan, they are going to be hounded by the fact that they will have only played one ranked Big Ten team by the time they meet in Ann Arbor in two weeks.
The Big Ten is a mess, but how do they compare to the rest of the FBS. Let's look using PRI (a semi-useless analytic looking at teams ranked in the Top 50-Teams Ranked in the Bottom 30 to denote strength of the conference).
SEC (+5)
Top 50: Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M
Bottom 33: Arkansas and Vanderbilt
The battle for the SEC Championship is already set as most teams in the conference will make sacrifices to the football gods from CUSA, the Sun Belt, and even the FCS-level opponents. Everyone rags on this scheduling, but remember Alabama played Texas in week 2, while Ohio State was playing Youngstown State (FCS), so, of course, they are going to play Chattanooga (FCS), you just notice because it's week 12. Georgia will meet Alabama and Big Ten fans better hope that Alabama doesn't win because a one-loss Bama gets in before the loser of the Michigan/OSU game. No matter what the outcome, Jimbo Fisher is still going to make $76 million for mediocrity after Texas A&M bought out the rest of his contract.
ACC (+5)
Top 50: Florida State, Louisville, UNC, NCST, Clemson, Duke, and Miami
Bottom 33: Virginia and Pitt
The ACC has almost settled its Championship game slate with Florida State punching their ticket this week. The Noles will await their foe which will either be Louisville or North Carolina, after the Tar Heels escaped an upset by rival Duke. FSU hasn't looked overpowering lately, and won't get much help from their schedule as they'll face an FCS team and a 5-5 Florida team to close out the season. A one-loss Louisville would be a better opponent for resume-building.
PAC-12 (+5)
Top 50: Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Arizona, USC, and UCLA
Bottom 33: Arizona St and Stanford
Because most people can't stay awake, they don't get the opportunity to enjoy the exciting brand of football that's being played out west. Of course, Big Ten fans better get used to 10:00 PM kickoff times when Purdue heads out to face Oregon next season. Washington has played one of the toughest schedules and doesn't get a week off this week in a Top-15 ranked Oregon State. The Huskies are still trying to clinch their spot in the Pac-12 Championship and can do so with a win this week. They are currently being challenged by the Ducks, Beavers, and Arizona Wildcats.
Big 12 (+3)
Top 50: Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State
Bottom 33: Cincinnati and Baylor
The Texas Longhorns escaped another close call to remain atop the crowded Big 12 field. Oklahoma and OKST are jostling for second, but eight of the teams are within a game of the second spot. Some of those teams had chances to pull away, but the Cowboys were manhandled by UCF and Kansas was stunned by Texas Tech to bring everyone close together. If Texas loses, the Big 12 may end up as the only Power 5 conference without a playoff team.
Sun Belt (+2)
Top 50: James Madison, Troy, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State
Bottom 33: Southern Miss and ULM
Yes, the Sun Belt ranks higher than the Big Ten thanks in part to James Madison's undefeated run. The Dukes are appealing the NCAA rules once again to try and become bowl-eligible in their second year of FBS transition. The NCAA will probably say no, so for now, Troy will have to await their opponent in the Sun Belt Championship. Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State are each going to get a shot at JMU to make all of this NCAA waiver stuff seem like a moot point.
Big Ten (+1)
Top 50: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa
Bottom 33: Purdue, Michigan State, and Indiana
There's Michigan and Ohio State in the A Tier, Penn State, and Iowa in the B tier, and then the other 10
are in the C/D tier. The Buckeyes and Wolverines should be rooting for Iowa to win out so they can at least face a ranked opponent in the Big Ten Championship. Penn State fired their offensive coordinator while Iowa believes that a good defense is the best offense. Eight teams in the Big Ten currently sit at 5-5 or worse. This is possibly the most mid this Midwest conference has been.
Mountain West (E)
Top 50: Fresno State, UNLV, Air Force, and Wyoming
Bottom 33: Hawai'i, San Diego State, New Mexico, and Nevada
The best football team in Las Vegas is not the Raiders, but the UNLV Rebels (8-2). Those Runnin' Rebs are in a five-team race with Air Force, Fresno State, San Jose State, and Boise State. The Broncos will have to make their run without their head coach, as Boise State fired Andy Avalos despite winning 42-14 over New Mexico. Boise State (5-5) is at risk of finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1997. It was chaos late Saturday night as San Jose State knocked off Fresno State and Hawai'i grounded Air Force to keep the race close.
Conference USA (-1)
Top 50: Liberty, New Mexico State, and Jacksonville State
Bottom 33: Middle Tennessee St, UTEP, La Tech, and Sam Houston State
This is an example of when numbers do lie. Half the conference is in the Bottom 33, but there are only 8 teams this season in CUSA, so nearly half are in the Top 50. Liberty will face New Mexico State in the CUSA Championship, which is a sentence no one would have said in 2022, because both schools were independents last season. Also, after being ranked dead last for most of the season, Sam Houston State is on a two-game win streak to improve to 2-8.
MAC (-2)
Top 50: Toledo, Miami, and Ohio
Bottom 33: EMU, Ball State, Buffalo, Akron, and Kent State
Toledo has once again bullied their way into the MAC Championship, but they must await their opponent. Most likely, it will be Miami, but Bowling Green can get in with wins in their final games, including the Battle of I-75 this week. Ohio also sits with an outside chance at the MAC East as they own the tiebreaker over BGSU, but they lost the Battle of the Bricks earlier to Miami.
AAC (-2)
Top 50: Tulane, Memphis, SMU, and UTSA
Bottom 33: UAB, North Texas, Tulsa, Temple, Charlotte, and ECU
The American is far from last season when people considered it to be an extension of the Power 5 schools. Now it's like a Frankenstein version of the old WAC and Conference USA. Tulane is the darling of the conference, but they are so bored that they try and lose every week to bottom-tier teams just to feel something. Memphis also has the same problem, but they end up winning those conference games. Tulane is joined by SMU and UTSA as fellow undefeated conference teams, while Memphis has a loss to Tulane. Memphis and SMU play each other this week, while UTSA and Tulane meet up in the final week of the season. The winners of those contests will play for the AAC Championship.
Here's a look at the Top 25:
A Top 25 win has the Huskies back in the top spot again.
1. Washington (10-0, 56.8 WAA, 0 LAA)
Last Week Rank: 2
Last Week: 35-28 over Utah
Up Next: Oregon State (8-2, 16)
2. Ohio State (10-0, 59.7, 0)
LWR: 1
LW: 38-3 over MSU
UN: Minnesota (5-5, 62)
3. Florida State (10-0, 64, 0)
LWR: 3
LW: 27-20 over Miami (FL)
UN: North Alabama (FCS)
4. Georgia (10-0, 72.5, 0)
LWR: 5
LW: 52-17 over Ole Miss
UN: Tennessee (7-3, 38)
That face when you see your fine from the FCC thanks to your potty mouth.
5. Michigan (10-0, 76.8, 0)
LWR: 6
LW: 24-15 over Penn State
UN: Maryland (6-4, 57)
6. James Madison (10-0, 83.5, 0)
LWR: 4
LW: 44-6 over UConn
UN: App State (6-4, 53)
7. Liberty (10-0, 91.6, 0)
LWR: 7
LW: 38-10 over Old Dominion
UN: UMass (3-7, 118)
8. Texas (9-1, 51, 11)
LWR: 8
LW: 29-26 over TCU
UN: Iowa State (6-4, 48)
9. Alabama (9-1, 55.1, 20)
LWR: 9
LW: 49-21 over Kentucky
UN: Chattanooga (FCS)
The Ducks are trying their best to get a rematch with Washington.
10. Oregon (9-1, 63.5, 2)
LWR: 10
LW: 36-27 over USC
UN: Arizona State (3-7, 103)
LWR: 11
LW: 31-24 over Virginia
UN: Miami (6-4, 50)
12. Tulane (9-1, 91.1, 28)
LWR: 14
LW: 24-22 over Tulsa
UN: FAU (4-6, 93)
13. Toledo (9-1, 100.8, 44)
LWR: 17
LW: 49-23 over EMU
UN: Bowling Green (6-4, 60)
14. UNC (8-2, 60, 102)
LWR: 19
LW: 47-45(2OT) over Duke
UN: Clemson (6-4, 43)
Third-best in the SEC isn't a bad place to be.
15. Missouri (8-2, 64.6, 33.3)
LWR: 24
LW: 36-7 over Tennessee
UN: Florida (5-5, 78)
16. Oregon State (8-2, 65.3, 40.5)
LWR: 18
LW: 62-17 over Stanford
UN: Washington (10-0, 1)
17. Oklahoma (8-2, 65.5, 34.5)
LWR: 23
LW: 59-20 over West Virginia
UN: BYU (5-5, 73)
18. Iowa (8-2, 74.6, 45)
LWR: 26
LW: 22-0 over Rutgers
UN: Illinois (5-5, 64)
19. Troy (8-2, 80.3, 28.5)
LWR: 25
LW: 45-14 over ULM
UN: Louisiana (5-5, 76)
Ole Miss gave it the old college try against Georgia.
20. Ole Miss (8-2, 81.4, 26)
LWR: 12
LW: 52-17 beatdown by Georgia
UN: ULM (2-8, 127)
21. Penn Stat (8-2, 84.5, 5.5)
LWR: 13
LW: 24-15 loss to Michigan
UN: Rutgers (6-4, 58)
22. Fresno State (8-2, 89.3, 50)
LWR: 15
LW: 42-18 loss to San Jose State
UN: New Mexico (3-7, 122)
23. Miami, OH (8-2, 95.3, 44)
LWR: 28
LW: 19-0 over Akron
UN: Buffalo (3-7, 114)
24. UNLV (8-2, 96.1, 12.5)
LWR: 30
LW: 34-14 over Wyoming
UN: Air Force (8-2, 25)
The Falcons Hawaiian vacation was not all it was cracked up to be.
25. Air Force (8-2, 97.1, 115.5)
LWR: 16
LW: 27-13 loss to Hawai'i
UN: UNLV (8-2, 24)
Dropped Out: Kansas, Utah, and OKST
Waiting List: Memphis, SMU, New Mexico State, Kansas, Utah, OKST, Kansas St, Arizona, Notre Dame, LSU, NCST, Coastal Carolina, Tennessee, Jacksonville St, and UTSA
Bottom 10
Kent State was dragged down to the bottom spot for the first time this season.
124. Virginia (2-8)
125. Pitt (2-8)
126. Nevada (2-8)
127. ULM (2-8)
128. ECU (2-8)
129. Sam Houston St (2-8)
130. Akron (2-8)
131. Vanderbilt (2-9)
132. UConn (1-9)
133. Kent State (1-9)
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