The Big Ten continues to dominate the top five in all three major rankings ahead of week 13.
The Big Ten’s elite remains on top of the college football world after week 12 of the 2024 college football season.
As programs around the country prepare for week 13 of the season, the Big Ten has four top-five teams in all three major rankings this week.
The Oregon Ducks sitting pretty with an 11-0 record after an upset scare against Wisconsin are the consensus No. 1 team in the rankings while the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Indiana Hoosiers round out a consensus top-five.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 while Penn State and Indiana are ranked No. 4 and No. 5 respectively, the SEC’s Texas Longhorns break up the Big Ten party in the top five at No. 3.
After several weeks of those four programs being the Big Ten’s only representatives, the Illinois Fighting Illini rejoined the rankings in both the College Football Playoffs and Associated Press top-25 this week. No other Big Ten teams were ranked outside the top five in the latest US LBM Coaches poll.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Kickoff time, TV channel for Wisconsin Badgers Week 14 game vs Minnesota
This story was updated to add new information.
The Wisconsin Badgers will play host to the Minnesota Golden Gophers at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Nov. 29.
The Week 14 contest will mark Wisconsin’s ninth and final Big Ten game of the 2024 season: The first eight were at USC (a 38-21 loss), vs. Purdue (a 52-6 win), at Rutgers (a 42-7 win), at Northwestern (a 23-3 win), vs. Penn State (a 28-13 loss), at Iowa (a 42-10 loss), vs. Oregon (a 16-13 loss) and at Nebraska (Nov. 23). The game against the Golden Gophers will be televised nationally on CBS.
After firing offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Nov. 17, Wisconsin could head back to Madison for the Nov. 29 contest with a 5-6 mark if it drops the Week 13 game at Nebraska. If that’s the case, the Badgers’ 23-year bowl game streak would be in jeopardy.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is on an opposite trajectory. The Golden Gophers are 6-4 and seventh in the 18-team Big Ten conference. Unexpected victories over USC and No. 24 Illinois have altered the course of Minnesota’s season.
In Wisconsin’s last game against its bitter rival, the Badgers won 28-14 in Minneapolis. UW is 3-3 in its last six games against Minnesota dating to 2018.
On Monday, coach Luke Fickell indicated redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke will take snaps as UW’s quarterback for the rest of the season. He may be required to play a nearly perfect game if the Badgers enter Week 14 in need of the coveted sixth win of the season.
While on their bye week, Iowa sought after answers to questions as to how they can carry their home performance on the road and sustain that level of play.
The road has been brutal to Iowa this year with abysmal showing in losses to Ohio State, Michigan State, and UCLA in games where they lacked overall competitiveness.
They get another chance to prove themselves on the road this week when they make their final road trip of the year to College Park Maryland to take on the Maryland Terrapins.
While on a bye, Iowa held steady in their ranking and came in at No. 33. Maryland, who sits at 4-6 overall and 1-6 in Big Ten play, slid one spot to No. 78 following their most recent loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last weekend.
Despite both being members of the Big Ten, the programs have only met four times in history. Iowa owns a 3-1 all-time series lead and has won the last three.
Maryland’s last win over Iowa came in a 38-31 win at home in 2014. The last meeting was at Maryland in a game Iowa ran up the score and handled the Terrapins by a score of 51-14.
The Hawkeyes and Terrapins kickoff this Saturday, Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. CT in a game that will be airing on Big Ten Network.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
The Bruins fall in the rankings after their Big Ten loss to Washington.
After a month of winning, the UCLA Bruins tasted defeat after their loss to the Washington Huskies. Falling 31-19 on the road, the Bruins dropped to 4-6 on the season, 3-5 in the Big Ten, and 13th in the Big Ten standings.
UCLA built momentum after their wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa but got a dose of reality against Washington. Proving they are still far away from Big Ten contention, the Bruins head to the drawing board with rival USC on deck this weekend.
But Bruins fans were not the only ones to notice their loss to Washington. Paul Myerburg of USA Today Sports dropped the Bruins five spots in his college football re-ranking. Falling from the No. 85 spot on his ranking to the No. 89 spot, the Bruins tumbled.
With USC and Fresno State still on the schedule, the Bruins have a chance to rise in Myerburg’s rankings, close out the season with an even 6-6 record, and build momentum for 2025 with an influx of talent joining the team.
Washington State 65; Illinois 56; Missouri 44; Syracuse 18; James Madison 11; Duke 9; Pittsburgh 7; Louisiana 5; Louisville 2; Vanderbilt 1; Sam Houston 1; LSU 1; Colorado State 1;
While the Hawkeyes were on a bye, the rest of the Big Ten pounced on the polls and dominates the top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll.
While the Iowa Hawkeyes were on a bye week resting up before their East Coast road trip to take on the Maryland Terrapins, the rest of the Big Ten saw plenty of action this week and seized control of the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.
The top five sees four Big Ten teams consisting of No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State, and No. 5 Indiana. The Texas Longhorns break up the party coming in at No. 3.
Indiana enjoyed their bye week before their monumental game against Ohio State next weekend. The other three all notched victories. Ohio State and Penn State both rolled as the Buckeyes beat Northwestern 31-7 to move to 9-1 and the Nittany Lions handled Purdue 49-10 to also get to 9-1.
Oregon, on the other hand, almost had a rude welcome to Wisconsin in a game they snuck by with just a 16-13 victory on the road to remain undefeated at 11-0.
Here’s the full US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 12.
Washington State 65; Illinois 56; Missouri 44; Syracuse 18; James Madison 11; Duke 9; Pittsburgh 7; Louisiana 5; Louisville 2; Vanderbilt 1; Sam Houston 1; LSU 1; Colorado State 1
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Starting slow, the Bruins trailed for the entirety of the game, as their offense and defense could not convert at critical junctures. Though the Bruins out-gained the Huskies, their untimely nine penalties doomed their chances for a second half comeback.
After the game, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, head coach DeShaun Foster said of the Bruins’ performance, “I’m not going to make any excuses for us: We just weren’t at our best, and it hurts when you know you can come out and play a little bit better than you did, you know?”
Though UCLA’s loss to Washington does not diminish their midseason success, it serves as a sobering reminder to fans that the team still has a long way to go. At 4-6 on the season, the Bruins could still draw even to end the year 6-6 with wins over USC and Fresno State.
But for the first time in a long time, the Bruins coaches and players look to regroup and return to the drawing board after a loss.
One UCLA linebacker earned some high praise from one of college football’s most important scouts.
The UCLA Bruins defense has been a force all season long, with several notable players emerging as top-tier players in the Big Ten. This week, one Bruin caught the eye of college football’s most important scout.
Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, analyzed UCLA defensive end Femi Oladejo after his breakout performance against Iowa.
Nagy, who previously worked as a regional scout for the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs, praised Oladejo for his closing speed and positional versatility.
Referencing his two-sack and four-tackle performance in the Bruins’ win over Iowa, Nagy described Oladejo as one of the “best-looking physical specimens” entering the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
To date, Oladejo has totaled 20 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks this year, and his numbers look to improve as the Bruins close out their season. Having caught the eye of college football’s kingmaker, Oladejo will continue to garner attention as the NFL Draft approaches next year.
How the Big Ten will figure out who’s in the conference title game if there are ties in the standings.
The Big Ten is a very big conference nowadays with 18 teams and no divisions, following chaotic conference realignment nationwide with the additions of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA.
Obviously, all these teams can’t play everyone in the conference in a single season, and without the East and West divisions, it may be challenging to figure out which two teams will play in the Big Ten championship game if there are ties at the top of the standings at the end of the regular season.
While conference titles alone are important, there are also College Football Playoff implications on the line because the four highest-ranked conference champs get top seeds and first-round byes.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten football tiebreaker rules in 2024, should we need them.
Big Ten football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The 2024 Big Ten football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the top-2 teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions (RIP Legends and Leaders), how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?
If there is a two-team tie in the Big Ten standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will use these considerations to break it, per Big Ten tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head game winner
2. Win percentage among common conference opponents
3. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on record against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings
4. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents
5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season
6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee
If there’s a two-way tie for first in the Big Ten and the tied teams previously played each other, the winner of that game is the top seed. If the tied teams didn’t previously play each other, the two-way tiebreaker rules apply.
If there is at least a multi-team tie in the Big Ten at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. But if it’s a tie after the single tiebreak winner is selected, the Big Ten will use these factors to break it. And if the tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker rules apply.
1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:
1A. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie is removed from the tiebreaker, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the applicable tiebreaker process (i.e., two team or three or more team tie)
1B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker
2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie
3. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings in order of finish
4. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents:
4A. In the event of an unbalanced schedule (i.e., less than nine conference games are played), the records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents, regardless of how many conference opponents each team played. If winning percentage is equal for all conference opponents, move to next step in tiebreaker
5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season
6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee
How the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC will figure out who plays in their respective conference title games if there are ties at the top of the standings.
Some FBS conferences eliminated divisions as they added or lost teams, and now the Sun Belt Conference is the lone one with two divisions. So that means, for example, determining who plays in the SEC championship game no longer boils down to who wins the East or West divisions. Instead, it’s all about the top-2 finishers in the regular-season standings.
So who gets to play in their respective conference title games when the four highest-ranked conference champs get a top College Football Playoff seed and first-round bye? What are the tiebreaker rules for the Power Four conferences in 2024?
It’s a lot to keep track of, so we’re here to help.
ACC football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The 2024 ACC football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and the top-2 teams will face off. But without the Atlantic and Coastal divisions, how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?
If there is a two-team tie in the ACC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to break it, per ACC tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams
2. Win-percentage versus all common opponents
3. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish
4. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents
5. The tied team with the higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games
6. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the commissioner or commissioner’s designee
In a two-way tie for first, the team with the highest win percentage (outright or via tiebreaker rules) will be the top seed.
Kevin Ruinard/USA TODAY Network
If there is at least a multi-team tie in the ACC at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. After the first team is selected from the multi-way tiebreak, the tiebreaker process resets:
1. Combined head-to-head win-percentage among the tied teams if all tied teams are common opponents
2. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, such team shall be eliminated and removed from the tie
3. Win-percentage versus all common opponents
4. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish
5. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents
6. The tied team with the highest ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games
7. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the commissioner or commissioner’s designee
Big Ten football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The 2024 Big Ten football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the top-2 teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions (RIP Legends and Leaders), how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?
If there is a two-team tie in the Big Ten standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will use these considerations to break it, per Big Ten tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head game winner
2. Win percentage among common conference opponents
3. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on record against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings
4. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents
5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season
6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee
If there’s a two-way tie for first in the Big Ten and the tied teams previously played each other, the winner of that game is the top seed. If the tied teams didn’t previously play each other, the two-way tiebreaker rules apply.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
If there is at least a multi-team tie in the Big Ten at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. But if it’s a tie after the single tiebreak winner is selected, the Big Ten will use these factors to break it. And if the tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker rules apply.
1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:
1A. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie is removed from the tiebreaker, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the applicable tiebreaker process (i.e., two team or three or more team tie)
1B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker
2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie
3. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings in order of finish
4. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents:
4A. In the event of an unbalanced schedule (i.e., less than nine conference games are played), the records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents, regardless of how many conference opponents each team played. If winning percentage is equal for all conference opponents, move to next step in tiebreaker
5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season
6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee
Big 12 football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The 2024 Big 12 football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at noon ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the conference’s top-2 teams will play. But if there’s a tie, how will the Big 12 break it to determine which teams will play for a conference title?
If there is a two-team tie in the Big 12 standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will look at these factors to break it, per Big 12 tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head competition among the two tied teams
2. Win percentage against all common conference opponents among the tied teams
3. Win percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the Conference), proceeding through the standings. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams
4. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (i.e., the strength of conference schedule)
5. Total number of wins in a 12-game season. The following conditions will apply to the calculation of the total number of wins: Only one win against a team from the NCAA FCS or lower division will be counted annually. Any games that are exempted from counting against the annual maximum number of football contests per NCAA rules
6. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games
7. Coin toss
If there’s a two-way tie for first and the tied teams previously played each other, the winner of that game is the top seed. If the tied teams didn’t previously play each other, the two-way tiebreaker rules apply.
Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman
If there is a multi-team tie in the Big 12 at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider the following factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. But if there is still a multi-way tie after the first team is selected from the tiebreak, the Big 12 will use these factors to break the tie, and when two teams are left tied, the two-team tiebreaker rules apply.
1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:
1A. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie is removed from the tiebreaker, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the applicable tiebreaker process (i.e., two team or three or more team tie)
1B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker
2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie
3. Record of the three (or more) tied teams against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the conference), proceeding through the standings. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams
4. Record of the three (or more) tied teams based on combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (i.e., strength of conference schedule)
5. Total number of wins in a 12-game season. The following conditions will apply to the calculation of the total number of wins: Only one win against a team from the NCAA FCS or lower division will be counted annually. Any games that are exempted from counting against the annual maximum number of football contests per NCAA rules
6. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games
7. Coin toss
SEC football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The 2024 SEC football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the conference’s top two teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions, how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?
If there is a two-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to break it, per SEC tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams
2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams
3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among the tied teams
4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among tied teams
6. Random draw of the tied teams
If two teams are tied for first in the SEC standings, they’ll play in the title game, and the tiebreaker steps above will decide seeding.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
If there is a multi-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will look at these considerations to identify the first team in the title game. After the first team is identified, the process reverts back to the two-team tiebreaker rules.
1. Head-to-head competition among tied teams
2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams
3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent, proceeding through the conference standings among tied teams
4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among the tied teams
