The new top 4 comes out after shakeup

With Rutgers and Michigan State on the slate, that doesn’t seem like the most hard thing in the world. A one-point win can be as good as any win, and a one-point loss can hurt as bad as getting run off the field, going by what Hocutt says.

Along with No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 8 Penn State, the Big Ten leads all conferences with four teams in the top eight.

A one-loss conference champion is probably going to the College Football Playoff, especially this season. It feels like the Big Ten’s on the come. The Buckeyes undoubtedly will also remember the pain of their only loss past year, when Michigan State spoiled a ideal season with an upset on the last play of the game in the rain in Columbus.

Michigan State Spartans celebrate a win against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights after a game at Spartan Stadium. Yes they loss to Pitt on Saturday.

Beat likely West Division champ Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game and a one-loss Big Ten champion like MI, with two more high-level wins added to the resume (over OSU and the Badgers) and the College Football Playoff committee will surely grab U-M.

Tight end Mike Gesicki gave a big smile when asked his feelings after seeing Iowa stun MI on Saturday. The Tigers fell from No. 2 because of last week’s loss at home to Pittsburgh.

That would leave the final spot up for grabs among Louisville – who could be viewed as the de facto ACC champ – the second Big Ten team, and Oklahoma, if they win out. WSU also could secure a spot in the conference title game on Saturday with a win against Colorado and a UW loss to ASU. Western Michigan, the only other unbeaten team besides Alabama, is ranked 21st by the committee.

Defense: Ohio State – This is one of the top units in the country. The Nittany Lions earned their 8th victory of the season last weekend over IN, despite being down at the half.

He followed that Sunday morning with three mentions of Rutgers followed by a quote from legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden: “You can’t let praise or criticism get to you”. The only ranking that really matters is the final one, after the conference championships.

But with two weeks to play, Wisconsin and Penn State are ranked in the top 10 – sixth and ninth – and have highly realistic paths to meet December 3 in Indianapolis. The Lions rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit for the third time this season, allowing them to enjoy the rest of the day’s chaos. But before I get to that I must admit, there does exist a big monkey wrench for the committee: The Big 10 could be a big problem.

Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2), by virtue of its win over Nebraska (8-2, 5-2), is in position to face whatever team the East sends to Indianapolis for the title game. MI and Wisconsin control their own destinies in terms of reaching the Big Ten Championship Game and will represent their respective divisions with wins in their final two regular-season games.