As Penn State comes off its 35-31 win over Purdue, we take a look at the ESPN FPI update for notable Big Ten teams.
To start, the Nittany Lions are currently ranked 16th coming off their road win. In other words, they didn’t move at all from the initial FPI ranking.
Let’s start by breaking down Penn State’s ranking.
Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State are the three other Big Ten teams above the Nittany Lions, with the Spartans being just one spot above them.
First, Penn State has a 0.2% chance to win out, which does make sense. It’s very hard to believe they will come remotely close to putting Ohio State on upset alert later in the season. They also play Michigan as well. Sure, Michigan lost some key players on their defense. However, the Wolverines usually do a good job of replacing those guys every year.
On top of that, the ranking also projects the Nittany Lions to finish roughly 8-4, which would be a win better than last year, not counting their Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas.
Penn State has a 5.4% chance to win the Big Ten East and a 3.1% chance to win the entire conference. First, it seems hard to believe that anyone other than Ohio State is going to win the East. If you remember from last season, the Buckeyes did have a slow start. But they did end up winning out and making the College Football Playoff.
Penn State defeated Purdue last week 35–31. The Boilermakers were ranked 44th last spring and are now 43rd in the ESPN FPI rankings. That also ranked 10th among Big Ten programs.
In addition, last spring’s ranking projected Purdue to win seven games this season. They are now at 6.5-5.6, or roughly 5-6 games. The Boilermakers are coming off an impressive 9-4 (6-3 in conference) record last season under Jeff Brohm. Side note here, Brohm is definitely a coach to keep an eye on for a bigger job next season.
Purdue also has an 11.6% chance to win the Big Ten West and a 1.2% chance win the entire conference. Taking a look at some of their notable games the rest of the season, Wisconsin is the only ranked team they will play the rest of the season. Looking at some other possible losses for the Boilermakers, One possible one could be Iowa or even Minnesota.
Overall, both Penn State and Purdue didn’t really move much in the rankings. But, they still have a tough route to go for both of them to went out the rest of the season.
[vertical-gallery id=22768]
[lawrence-related id=23181,23179,23177,23080,23053]
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.