Not all college football programs are created equal. We are perhaps, reminded of that even more with the latest round of league expansion. The riches and most powerful programs are being gobbled up to enhance other leagues’ pedigree, while others are left in a cruel game of musical chairs where someone is most likely going to be left without a seat at the big boy table, and relegated to a less desirable alternative.
Right now, it’s the Big Ten, SEC, and to a lesser extent, the Big 12, that’s doing the hunting and consumption of programs looking for a better and sweeter deal (ACC, you are on the clock). So much so, that after the latest news of Oregon and Washington joining UCLA and USC in the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is most likely going the way of the rotary phone save for Bruce Willis hopping on an asteroid and saving the presumed crash, burn, and inhalation of the conference now left with just four members.
But even within the Big Ten, some of the most prestigious cash cows of the league are pulling some along in the rear. Now that the conference is set to have 18 members all battling it out from coast-to-coast, and sea to shining microplastic-riddled warming sea, we thought we’d rank each Big Ten football program based on its value to the league.
We count down from 18, all the way to No. 1 in our Big Ten football program ranking.
18
Northwestern Wildcats
Why the Ranking
Despite some recent success on the field, Northwestern doesn’t move the needle very much when it comes to revenue, turning on televisions, or a historical pedigree. Add to it all of the shenanigans with the latest hazing scandal, and well — things can hopefully only go up from here.
17
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Why the Ranking
Every time I write something remotely negative about the Rutgers football program, I get fans of the Scarlet Knights reminding me that they played in the first-ever college football game. I get it, but it sure seems like things have been swimming upstream ever since then. Aside from the flicker of top-ten success during Greg Schiano’s first stint in Piscataway, there hasn’t been much else to brag about and it’ll be awfully hard to turn the thing around going forward against the heavyweights in the league.
16
Indiana Hoosiers
Why the Ranking
If this were a basketball power ranking (that may be coming to a computer or mobile device screen near you soon), this would be different. It’s not, and it isn’t. Indiana has had a very hard time remaining competitive in a game that doesn’t involve dribbling on purpose and has a lot of historical disadvantages that won’t likely see things changing anytime soon.
15
Purdue Boilermakers
Why the Ranking
When you have the nickname “spoilermakers” that says all you need to know about a program’s place in the landscape of the sport. While Purdue is a good story when it’s doing well on the gridiron, that’s been few and far between (yes, the Boilermakers went to Indy last year, but that’s the exception).
Recruiting is hard to do in a state that doesn’t have a whole lot of football talent nor a pedigree to attract many outside of it. Purdue can at least brag about having some pretty good quarterbacks every once in a while, but that’s about it.
14
Illinois Fighting Illini
Why the Ranking
The Fighting Illini haven’t done much of their namesake over the years. Bret Bielema seems to have things on an upswing, but not even the Chicagoland area seems to pay much attention to what’s happening down I-57. Players seem to leave the state to play for other big-name programs and it’s really a program without much of an identity. It’s hard to see that changing, at least not more than every few years or so.
13
Maryland Terrapins
Why the Ranking
We still don’t quite understand how Maryland hasn’t been better more consistently than it has with all of that talent in the DMV area. Still, if you can’t win with a pipeline right around the corner, that should tell you all you need to know about the interest in the football program.
Penn State is kind of, sort of in the way because it casts a shadow over that part of the country, and until the Terps can start to go toe-to-toe with the big boys, it’ll remain a bit of an afterthought in an area that loves basketball and its pro teams.
12
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Why the Ranking
Minnesota is a really tough and weird program to rank on the football field. Things are clearly much, much better on the field with P.J. Fleck as the head coach, but it feels like the program has kind of reached its ceiling. Being a team that contends from time to time and goes to a decent bowl game most years seems to be where this program is.
11
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Why the Ranking
Two decades ago, Nebraska would be much higher on this list. The reality is that the landscape has changed not only in the country but within college football. The Cornhuskers can no longer attract top talent from the high school ranks nationally, and it’s going to be a Lord of the Rings journey to compete like they did in the 90s.
Maybe Matt Rhule proves us all wrong, but this program is one that’s going to be walking uphill, both ways, in snow, against a blustery wind, to be even a shell of what it once was.
10
Michigan State Spartans
Why the Ranking
We are in the part of the league now where it’s in between the haves and have-nots. The Spartans have definitely been a feast-or-famine type of program and you could make the case either way here, but there’s more to like than not.
Michigan State has shown that when the right guy is leading the way, it can become one of the better programs in the conference and help pull things along with some titles and national title aspirations. Inconsistency has been a real problem though.
9
UCLA Bruins
Why the Ranking
UCLA was kind of like the Michigan State of the Pac-12. The Bruins have some years in which they were the class of the league but seem to struggle to put things together on a yearly basis as a program of peaks and many more valleys than you’d want on a well-designed map.
However, one can reasonably expect UCLA to recruit a little better with some advantages and exposure of being in the Big Ten, especially in such a talent-rich area like Southern California.
8
Iowa Hawkeyes
Why the Ranking
Iowa is always going to be a solid part of the Big Ten, but not to the level of some of the other name brands in the league. The Hawkeyes always seem to be competitive and have a culture that plays and can sustain, but it’ll probably never be a major player consistently like other teams above them on this list.
Now, if we were talking about programs that can do more with less, then yeah, we can have that conversation.
7
Washington Huskies
Why the Ranking
Washington feels like a program on the rise and has some historical success along with it, having won a couple of national titles. It’s been a while since that’s been the case, but it is a top ten, fringe top ten program right now.
The marriage with the Big Ten will only help the Huskies on the field with recruiting, exposure, and money in a very underrated part of the country for plucking high school kids to play for them.
6
Wisconsin Badgers
Why the Ranking
The Wisconsin way of doing things wasn’t — and isn’t — a fly-by-night fix. The culture Barry Alvarez installed over 30 years ago is still working today.
You could make a list of the best programs to not make a College Football Playoff and the Badgers would be on the shortlist. A little downturn here recently has a good chance of being corrected with the arrival of Luke Fickell as the head coach.
5
Oregon Ducks
Why the Ranking
Oregon is more of a recent success story in the grand scheme of things when you look at the long history of college football, but there’s been some staying power there. The program has really embraced shiny objects like facilities and a seemingly limitless uniform combination.
Having Phil Knight and Nike on board doesn’t hurt at all, and the Ducks are able to recruit not only out West but have the ability to go national and cherry-pick players from time to time too. Oregon is a cool place for kids to go and play, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
4
Penn State Nittany Lions
Why the Ranking
Now we are getting into the programs in the Big Ten that have a historical and consistent pedigree. These are the teams that tend to have a huge following, generate a ton of revenue, turn on television sets, and have passionate fanbases.
Penn State is in that group but isn’t known as the top dog of the league. Still, the Nittany Lions recruit well and seem to always have a say in what happens in the league. That should be the case not only in 2023 but beyond.
3
USC Trojans
Why the Ranking
USC has the potential to eventually be the biggest brand in the league and was undoubtedly the most coveted prize in the Pac-12. The Trojans have multiple national titles, a slew of Heisman Trophies, and a pile of wins historically.
With Lincoln Riley now pulling the punches in SoCal, the trajectory is headed back up to where things were in the Pete Carroll days and prior. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching USC do battle and contend for titles with the other monster programs in the Big Ten.
2
Michigan Wolverines
Why the Ranking
Michigan fans are going to be upset that the Wolverines aren’t No. 1 on this list, but two years doesn’t erase nearly two decades of dominance by another school. Here’s the deal though — Michigan has won the last two Big Ten titles and made the College Football Playoff the last two as well so despite what folks in Columbus want to hear, the Maize and Blue are a problem again.
The Wolverines have been the class of the league in a very small sample size, but Ohio State, USC, Penn State, Oregon, and others will have a say about that going forward.
1
Ohio State Buckeyes
Why the Ranking
Ohio State has been the Big Ten flagbearer for decades now, despite two-straight losses to Michigan. The Buckeyes pull down more revenue than any other team in the league, have the most massive fanbase, and a saturated media circus that somehow still works.
The following is huge and the success on the field has led to OSU being one of the top two or three programs not only throughout history, but over the last couple of decades in all of the sport.
Michigan is trying to close the gap, USC will try to lay out an argument going forward, but the Big Ten still has the Ohio State football program in the front seat of the rowboat as college football makes its way into uncharted territory beginning next season and beyond.
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