B1G Power Rankings: OSU, Michigan get participation ribbons

Big Ten power rankings for people who think 'bowl projections” are bowls defending themselves against their own unconscious impulses by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to other bowls.

1. Penn State (8-1 Big Ten, 10-2 overall):

Penn State shared the East title with Ohio State, beat Ohio State head-to-head, then stormed through the final month of its season, but the Buckeyes are the playoff shoo-in, not the Nittany Lions?

2. Wisconsin (7-2, 10-2):

The Badgers are headed to their fourth Big Ten championship game. That's two more than Ohio State and four more than Michigan. Which is the superpower again?

3. Michigan (7-2, 10-2):

If the Michigan-Ohio State game had been played in Ann Arbor, the officials would have said J.T. Barrett was short of the first down and the Wolverines would have won in the second overtime.

4. Ohio State (8-1, 11-1):

The Buckeyes beat Michigan State 17-16 the Saturday before Penn State defeated the Spartans 45-12. But Ohio State is the playoff shoo-in.

5. Iowa (6-3, 8-4):

The Hawkeyes were 2-2 against teams ranked in the coaches' Top 25. That's not bad.

6. Nebraska (6-3, 9-3)

: For everyone saying how loaded the Big Ten is this season, the sixth-best team of 14 lost by 59 points to Ohio State and by 30 to Iowa.

7. Minnesota (5-4, 8-4):

The Gophers imploded in the second half at Wisconsin. Coincidentally, Imploded Gopher opened for the Sex Pistols in Helsinki back in the day.

8. Northwestern (5-4, 6-6)

: If you'd told the Wildcats in August that they would win at Iowa and Michigan State but have to settle for a 6-6 record, well, it would have been really weird that you were bothering them with your jibber-jabber.

9. Indiana (4-5, 6-6):

Hoosiers junior backup quarterback Zander Diamont announced Saturday that his team's bowl game would be his last. 'I think that for my safety and my future - I'm not going to the NFL - I need my brain.”

10. Maryland (3-6, 6-6)

: The Terrapins lost two out of every three Big Ten games they played, were outscored by 117 points in league play, and had an announced crowd of 30,220 Saturday to see them clinch bowl-eligibility against Rutgers. But they did defeat Howard and Florida International.

11. Michigan State (1-8, 3-9)

: A year ago this week, the Spartans won the Big Ten championship and headed to the national playoff. This week, they're going to a Christmas tree farm.

12. Purdue (1-8, 3-9)

: Basketball is a good game, and Purdue has a good team. So Boiler Up!

13. Illinois (2-7, 3-9):

Illinois is so close to a Big Ten championship game. It's just a 121-mile drive.

14. Rutgers (0-9, 2-10):

The Scarlet Knights' 2017 season-opener is against Washington. What could go wrong?