The regular season is over in the B1G.
We'll start with the reverse power rankings.
18. Ohio State (10-2) - The Buckeyes did what inferior programs do in a rivalry game. They were embarrassed at home against a bad Michigan team. The game was lost at halftime when the bands performed together. It was absolutely pathetic. To allow those flags to be on the same field with a military brass and percussion band is an all-time embarrassment. They went from literally shitting on Michigan a couple weeks ago to sharing the field at halftime?
This was the worst Michigan team to beat Ohio State since 1959!! That Michigan team finished 4-5, while Ohio State was even worse at 3-5-1. The 2024 Buckeyes were 10-1, #2 in the country, and 21-point favorites at HOME after losing three in a row to Michigan. And they lost 13-10! In a vacuum, it is the worst loss in the history of Ohio State football. Sure, there were national title game blowout losses, other losses to Michigan (1995 and 1996 come to mind) and horrible losses to Michigan State (1998, 2013, 2015), but none to a team this bad when the Buckeyes were perceived as being elite.
All those seniors came back to avenge the last three seasons. Ryan Day has said all the right things the past year. It's a shame that the four team playoff isn't still around, because there's no doubt that Ryan Day would be unemployed at this moment. Now in a 12 team playoff world, where signing day is TODAY, and the transfer portal opens next week, AD Ross Bjork has no choice but to cast a vote of confidence for Ryan Day. Lose a home playoff game in three weeks? Maybe things will be different and the trigger will be pulled.
Being a few days removed from the game, Ohio State is still the third favorite to win the national title. They are going to have a home playoff game, though maybe going on the road would be better for the team. Just wait till there's a 3rd and 9 draw inside the red zone leading to another missed field goal in the playoff? The boo birds will be even louder.
Four B1G teams are going to be playoff bound, the most of any conference. The winner of Penn State - Oregon will likely be the #1 seed. Assuming Oregon wins, the question is where will Penn State fall to? Will they be behind Ohio State or stay ahead of them? I feel they should be behind, but will likely stay ahead. Where does the SEC loser fall to? Texas would be at five or six, Georgia may not move from seven, since they had previously beat the Longhorns. So who gets the last home game? It will probably come down to Ohio State and Tennessee.
My Playoff Projections: 1. Oregon 2. Georgia 3. SMU 4. Boise St. 5. Notre Dame 6. Penn State 7. Texas 8. Ohio State 9. Tennessee 10. Indiana 11. Alabama 12. Iowa State.
So now the Bucks will get to welcome Tennessee to the Horseshoe, get the win, and have a Rose Bowl rematch with Oregon, then get Notre Dame in the semi's before beating Georgia in Atlanta to win the national title!! And then they can FIRE RYAN DAY.
A final check-in on bowl eligibility is below. Both Wisconsin and Michigan State lost and failed to get to six wins.
Going Bowling: Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Rutgers, Nebraska, Michigan, USC
No Bowling: Purdue, UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan State
Penn State and Oregon square off in the B1G Championship in Indianapolis Saturday night.
The week 14 B1G Power Rankings are below. These are based strictly on on-field performance relative to the competition and is not a projection of things to come.
1. Oregon (12-0) - The Ducks finished off a perfect regular season, avenging last season's two losses to Washington. They'll face Penn State this weekend in Indianapolis. Win and they're the #1 seed for the playoff. A loss and they'll be #5.
2. Penn State (11-1) - The Lions did what good teams are supposed to do and stomped an inferior opponent at home. With the Ohio State loss, they'll be heading to Indy. They were probably locked in as the six or seven seed without playing in Indy. Does a loss drop them back at all?
3. Indiana (11-1) - The Hoosiers did what great teams are supposed to do their a bad rival. They beat Purdue 66-0. They'll likely head on the road for a playoff game.
4. Illinois (9-3) - The Illini did what good teams do and put away their rival, Northwestern at Wrigley Field. They'll likely be heading to the Cheez-it Bowl to face the top non playoff SEC team.
5. Iowa (8-4) - The Hawkeyes did what better teams are supposed to do, find a way to win. They won on a last second field goal 13-10 to beat Nebraska on Friday night.
6. Minnesota (7-5) - The Gophers did what decent teams are supposed to do to inferior rivals. They beat Wisconsin 24-7 on Friday. T
7. Michigan (7-5) - The Wolverines did what teams that dominate rivalries do. They humiliated the Buckeyes by controlling the line of scrimmage and running it down the their throat win for the fourth time in a row after losing 15 of 16 since 2004. The rivalry has turned and a disappointing season ends on the highest of notes. They'll likely end up in a Florida bowl.
8. Washington (6-6) - The Huskies were on the road, with means they lost. It was an up and down season for Washington. 6-0 at home, 0-6 not at home.
9. Rutgers (7-5) - The Scarlet Knights ended the season on a high note, beating an inferior Michigan State team 41-14 to end the season on a two game winning streak. They'll likely head to the Pin Stripe bowl in the Bronx
10. USC (6-6) - Notre Dame did what great teams are supposed to do. They beat a rival on the road to clinch a home playoff game. The Fighting Irish pulled away in the 2nd half, getting out to a 21-point lead in the 4th quarter. USC is still bowl bound and will likely be in one of the historic PAC-12 bowls.
11. Nebraska (6-6) - The Huskers couldn't hold on to a 10-0 lead, falling 13-10 at Iowa. A final minute fumble by Dylan Raiola allowed Iowa to kick a game winning field goal as time expired.
12. UCLA (5-7) - The Bruins beat Fresno State to finish 5-7. They had a good second half of the season and have promise going in to 2025.
13. Wisconsin (5-7) - The Badgers will be at home during bowl season for the first time in 22 seasons. The season was a complete disaster for Luke Fickell. They were at 5-2 before losing their final five game. Changes will need to be made in Madison or Fickell will certainly be out after three seasons.
14. Michigan State (5-7) - The Spartans fell flat against Rutgers, with bowl eligibility on the line. It was a disappointing end to Jonathan Smith's first season in East Lansing.
15. Maryland (4-8) - The Terps are still bad, after being throttled by Penn State. 2024 was a step back after three straight winning seasons.
16. Northwestern (4-8) - The Wildcats lost yet again, on to 2025.
17. Purdue (1-11) - The Boilermakers did what really bad teams do in rivalry games, losing 66-0 to Indiana. Coach Ryan Walters has been fired after two seasons and another rebuild is underway.
18. Ohio State (10-2) - See above. They'll probably win the national championship.
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