This is, well, awkward.
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With Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines falling flat in a 14-13 loss to Iowa this week, the Ohio State Buckeyes sit atop this week's set of Big Ten power rankings. There is still plenty of football to play, including "The Game" between Michigan and Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 26, but at the moment, Urban Meyer's team is in serious trouble when it comes to actually winning the Big Ten crown.
Because Penn State holds the same conference mark as Ohio State with the all-important tiebreaker advantage, the Buckeyes need to both beat Michigan and pray for a loss from the Nittany Lions. Given that the schedule for James Franklin and company includes Rutgers and a home game against a struggling Michigan State team, that does not appear likely.
If Michigan is able to go in to hostile territory and knock off Ohio State, none of this matters and the Wolverines will likely face Wisconsin for all of the Big Ten marbles. If Ohio State wins, though, this power ranking won't match what transpires within the league itself, and that will be mirrored by a huge decision from the College Football Playoff.
With all of that in mind, here are this week's Big Ten rankings. Be gentle in your analysis.
Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 11 (last week's rank in parentheses)
- Ohio State (?' 1)
- Michigan (?" 1)
- Wisconsin (?")
- Penn State (?")
- Iowa (?' 1)
- Nebraska (?" 1)
- Minnesota (?' 1)
- Northwestern (?" 1)
- Indiana (?")
- Maryland (?")
- Purdue (?' 1)
- Illinois (?" 1)
- Michigan State (?")
- Rutgers (?")
