An entertaining Week 6 is officially in the rearview mirror. Week 7 of the college football season is packed with great matchups that will weigh on the College Football Playoff committee once the first bracket is released on Tuesday, November 5th.
The Big Ten has been firmly entrenched in the first projections done by Erick Smith, and Paul Myerberg. We add Andy Patton‘s CFP projection to the fold this week. All are worthy reads and strong looks at how the non-conference champs spots can change wildly.
Alabama losing at Vanderbilt meant a new number one, and the third in three weeks. Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, and USC also lost, ending the Big Ten teams’ chances of getting in, and hurting the SEC‘s one-loss teams that couldn’t take advantage of the Alabama loss.
The shake ups across the standings did not take away Big Ten teams from being in the latest CFP projections, but did a fourth climb in from the teams falling out?
Three Big Ten teams in CFP projections
No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 8 Penn State remain in the College Football Playoff projections. The trio remain in the same spot as they were in last week. CFP rankings are separate from the Coaches and AP polls.
Indiana, Illinois, and Nebraska would be the next teams up for the Big Ten after Michigan and USC’s losses. That’s a precipitous drop from the top three teams after Week 6.
There’s a chance only two schools make the list this time next week. Ohio State travels to Eugene, Oregon to take on the Ducks.
Cornhuskers a team to watch
Myerberg gave a few lines to Nebraska to give flowers to their defense. He also touched on QB Dylan Raiola’s growth being a factor to getting into the top 12.
Big Ten bowl projections at a glance
12 teams made last week’s bowl season projections, including the CFP. What might change after upsets hit the Big Ten.
- Duke’s Mayo – Iowa Hawkeyes vs. NC State Wolfpack
- Citrus – Indiana Hoosiers vs. Ole Miss Rebels
- Sun – USC Trojans (Pac-12 rep) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
- ReliaQuest – Illinois Fightin’ Illini vs. Texas A&M Aggies
- Music City – Michigan Wolverines vs. Tennessee Volunteers
- Alamo – Washington Huskies (Pac-12 rep) vs. BYU Cougars
- Pinstripe – Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Syracuse Orange
- Guaranteed Rate – Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
- Detroit – Wisconsin Badgers vs. Toledo Rockets
Swaps and new games litter the projections. Iowa, Washington, and Wisconsin kept the same game and matchup they had last week.
The Big Ten didn’t gain any bowl games. Minnesota’s win puts them on the right path to contend for one of the smaller games. Maryland has a winnable home game against Northwestern, while Wisconsin can get their fourth win of the season in an upset at Rutgers. Wins by both would make them 4-2, tied with Rutgers.