Every Tuesday, we rank the SEC and Big Ten teams in one power poll. The order of the SEC teams is based on the Week 5 SDS SEC Power Poll.
Nebraska, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa quietly keep winning games.
The Big Ten hasn’t exactly played itself back into playoff relevance, but it looks more and more likely that the conference will have a team or two squarely in the conversation by the end of the year.
The winner of Saturday’s game between unbeaten Nebraska and one-loss Michigan State is a serious national contender. If that team continues to roll, whether it’s the Cornhuskers or Spartans, expect it to wait in the weeds for the SEC and Pac-12 to cannibalize itself, or perhaps for Florida State or Oklahoma to lose.
Still, the SEC claims 10 of the top 14 spots in the combined power rankings between the two conferences. Penn State fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in a crushing loss to a bad Northwestern team, speaking poorly to the overall strength of the Big Ten.
But those four Big Ten teams — Michigan State and Ohio State in the East Division and Nebraska and Wisconsin in the West Division — have a better opportunity to stick all season than, say, Texas A&M or Ole Miss, due to an easier schedule.
NATIONAL CONTENDERS
All four of these teams play huge conference games against ranked opponents Saturday. National championship teams win these types of games. It’s a “prove it” weekend.
1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. Auburn
4. Michigan State
MUST-WATCH UNBEATENS
The Bulldogs, Rebels and Cornhuskers all are capable of knocking off one of the teams in the first group (Auburn has the easiest game against a true freshman quarterback making his first start for LSU.) Unbeaten through the first week of October, any one of these teams would begin to get major credibility nationally as a serious College Football Playoff threat.
5. Mississippi State
6. Ole Miss
7. Nebraska
STILL HOPING FOR A DIVISION TITLE
Each of these teams entered the season with high hopes — with the possible exception of LSU, which got there after a neutral-site win against the Badgers to open the year. Georgia is the SEC East favorite, while Wisconsin and Ohio State have to catch a pair of good teams. But even LSU still hopes for an SEC West title, however unlikely, and can take a step closer to getting it by knocking off Auburn.
8. Georgia
9. Ohio State
10. LSU
11. Wisconsin
FEISTY ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU NERVOUS
All three of these SEC teams were involved in thrilling fourth quarters with ranked opponents Saturday, while Maryland’s offense and Iowa’s defense are good enough to keep the game close with some of the nation’s best teams.
12. Arkansas
13. Missouri
14. South Carolina
15. Maryland
16. Iowa
MEDIOCRE BOWL GAMES LOOK LIKELY
James Franklin’s magic finally ran out. After beating UCF on the final drive in Ireland and stealing a win against Rutgers after trailing the whole game, the Nittany Lions got within 14-6 in the fourth quarter Saturday before fading. The offense is struggling big-time, but now that the NCAA ban is lifted, this team should pick up two more wins in the final seven games without difficulty.
Missing the Idaho game is haunting Florida right now, as the Gators could get to four wins against Tennessee this weekend with Vandy and Eastern Kentucky left on the schedule. But a loss to the Vols puts a bowl in jeopardy, not to mention the possibility that Will Muschamp gets fired immediately. Indiana and Tennessee may have to pull off one upset, but look capable of reaching six wins.
17. Penn State
18. Florida
19. Minnesota
20. Indiana
21. Tennessee
SHOULD FADE FAST
If not for the persistent turnovers against PSU, Rutgers would be 5-0 right now and on the national radar with the opportunity to put Brady Hoke out of his misery. Instead, the Scarlet Knights are 4-1, but in danger of missing a bowl game completely if the team lets Michigan get back on its feet. Speaking of Michigan, when will Hoke be let go, and who will be the next coach? Kentucky is a nice story, and four wins appear the team’s absolute basement, but if the Wildcats can’t beat South Carolina, losses could pile up fast.
22. Rutgers
23. Michigan
24. Kentucky
FIRM HOLIDAY PLANS
OK, Illinois, if you get to four wins this weekend, we’ll talk. You may need to keep the week after Christmas open in your calendars, at least for another month or so. But I don’t see any way the rest of this bunch finds six wins.
25. Northwestern
26. Illinois
27. Vanderbilt
28. Purdue
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
