The Big Ten power rankings will be published weekly throughout the regular season using a mix of data-driven insight and unapologetic subjectivity. With 18 teams, nine conference games and wild variations in the quality of non-conference schedules, comparative analysis is an inherently flawed approach. Which is fine, because the Hotline hasn’t been wrong about anything in at least 90 minutes.
(Review last week’s Big Ten rankings here.)
UCLA’s search to replace DeShaun Foster, who was fired Sunday after an apocalyptic loss to New Mexico, likely will last several months as the Bruins assess the coaching landscape. Along the way, the process could prove quite profitable for coaches currently employed by their competitors on the West Coast.
The basis for our premise: The Bruins will run an inefficient search.
Why the pessimism? Because they have already announced athletic director Martin Jarmond and a senior executive will “be aided by a committee composed of accomplished sports and business executives and UCLA greats.”
That’s a terrible idea, but the administration undoubtedly felt it had no choice. Jarmond’s credibility with UCLA stakeholders is in tatters after the Foster experiment went sideways, so chancellor Julio Frenk was not inclined to hand Jarmond the keys to the hire.
But a committee of “accomplished sports and business executives and UCLA greats” is not how to identify the right coach.
In fact, only one person who fits that description, Bob Myers, the former UCLA basketball player and Warriors general manager, should be allowed anywhere near the search.
Everyone else should be steeped in college football, which is becoming more complicated with each passing week.
The “sports and business executives” approach is also a recipe for a messy search filled with media leaks and directional changes. We have no doubt that it will create a feeding frenzy for agents representing sitting head coaches and coordinators whose names will be connected to the UCLA vacancy.
For example, Arizona coach Brent Brennan, who played for the Bruins, and Washington coach Jedd Fisch, a former UCLA playcaller and interim head coach, already have been linked to the vacancy — not by credible reporting, of course, but the purest of speculation. (Our advice: ignore.)
USC defensive playcaller D’Anton Lynn, who held the same post at UCLA two years ago, and Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein have been named as potential candidates by media outlets.
Same with Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and UNLV head coach Dan Mullen and Boise State coach Spencer Danielson.
By November, every successful coach and coordinator in the West, especially those with ties to UCLA, will have been attached to the vacancy.
The agents will leverage the reports to make their clients richer, which, of course, makes the agents richer, too.
Few things provide better runways for shakedowns than in-season dismissals, because of all the time available for rampant speculation.
When the school conducting the search is backed by the Big Ten brand and is viewed by many as an underachiever, the interest across so many levels of the game is enhanced.
There are 136 major college programs. The head coaches at 100 of them, and the coordinators at 120, will be interested in the UCLA vacancy. The desire to move up defines the mindset of the entire industry, from players and coaches to the schools themselves (via realignment).
The Bruins’ implosion is a nightmare for the school but an early holiday bonus for agents and their clients.
Add all the victories that have and will come at the Bruins’ expense and they are, it seems, an unwitting gift that keeps on giving.
To the power rankings …
All times Pacific
1. Ohio State (3-0)
Result: beat Ohio 37-9
Next up: idle
Comment: Two weeks to prepare for the conference opener in Seattle is a nice gift, and Washington would have extra time, too, if not for the Apple Cup on Saturday. The Big Ten office doesn’t control when teams slot their non-conference games. (Previous: 1)
2. Oregon (3-0/1-0)
Result: won at Northwestern 34-14
Next up: vs. Oregon State (12 p.m. on Big Ten Network)
Comment: The Ducks have looked as impressive as the laws and physics of the sport allow considering the quality (or lack thereof) of their opponents thus far. And we suspect that will be true this weekend, as well. It could be a record-breaking beatdown. (Previous: 2)
3. Penn State (3-0)
Result: beat Villanova 52-6
Next up: idle
Comment: Rinse, wash, repeat: Two weeks to prepare for the conference opener against Oregon is a nice gift for the Nittany Lions. The Ducks would have extra time, too, if not for the Civil War on Saturday. (Previous: 3)
4. USC (3-0/1-0)
Result: won at Purdue 33-17
Next up: vs. Michigan State (8 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: We saw what we wanted to see from the Trojans in West Lafayette, which was this: 40 rushes for 178 yards. They won’t win the toughest games — and that list includes the upcoming assignment — without running the ball effectively. (Previous: 5)
5. Illinois (3-0)
Result: beat Western Michigan 38-0
Next up: at Indiana (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: This time last year, it would have been difficult to envision Illinois-Indiana as a matchup coveted by NBC with the No. 2 pick in the weekly Big Ten draft, but here we are. (Previous: 4)
6. Michigan State (3-0)
Result: beat Youngstown State 41-24
Next up: at USC (8 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: One of the factors informing the decision to slot the Spartans into the 11 p.m. Eastern kickoff window, knowing they would not get back to campus until mid-morning Sunday, was the bye next week. (Previous: 10)
7. Washington (2-0)
Result: did not play
Next up: at Washington State (4:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: We wonder how much practice time last week was devoted to Ohio State, as opposed to Apple Cup preparation — even if it wasn’t presented to the players in those terms. Our hunch: quite a bit. (Previous: 8)
8. Nebraska (3-0)
Result: beat Houston Christian 59-7
Next up: vs. Michigan (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: The Cornhuskers are currently 1.5-point home underdogs against Michigan. Pro tip: Jump on that number before it swings the other way. They will win the game outright. (Previous: 6)
9. Michigan (2-1)
Result: beat Central Michigan 63-3
Next up: at Nebraska (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is the real deal. We’re about to see how many other Wolverines are, as well. If the figure is as low as we suspect, the heat under Sherrone Moore’s seat is about to spike. (Previous: 9)
10. Maryland (3-0)
Result: beat Towson 44-17
Next up: at Wisconsin (9 a.m. on NBC)
Comment: The visit to Madison is a rare example of NBC airing a Big Ten game in the 12 p.m. Eastern window. It’s an option only because Fox isn’t showing the conference on Big Noon, so the exclusivity clause does not apply. (Previous: 12)
11. Iowa (2-1)
Result: beat UMass 47-7
Next up: at Rutgers (Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Friday road games are tough, especially when your FCS transfer quarterback is playing like he’s still in the FCS. (Previous: 7)
12. Indiana (3-0)
Result: beat Indiana State 73-0
Next up: vs. Illinois (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: The next month will define Indiana’s season with three matchups against ranked teams: First comes Illinois, then USC and Ohio State. And it could become four ranked foes in five games if Washington enters the Top 25 at some point. (Previous: 14)
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Arizona beats Kansas State, quest for a bounce-back season remains alive
Mailbag: Jedd Fisch’s future, Jonathan Smith’s move & West Coast Hot Seats
13. Minnesota (2-1)
Result: lost at Cal 27-14
Next up: idle
Comment: A few of the calls Saturday night in Berkeley looked like the Gophers were playing not to lose instead of to win. Not good. Not good at all. (Previous: 11)
14. Rutgers (3-0)
Result: beat Norfolk State 60-10
Next up: vs. Iowa (Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: We fed Rutgers’ schedule into the Hotline supercomputer, ran 10,000 simulations of the season, and every one of them spit out a 6-6 record. Previous: 13
15. Wisconsin (2-1)
Result: lost at Alabama 38-14
Next up: vs. Maryland
Comment: With DeShaun Foster out at UCLA, the hottest seat in the Big Ten belongs to Luke Fickell. We don’t expect an in-season dismissal in Madison but can envision the school making a move minutes after the season finale. (Previous: 15)
16. Purdue (2-1/0-1)
Result: lost to USC 33-17
Next up: at Notre Dame (12:30 p.m. NBC)
Comment: There is no good time for the Boilermakers to make the trip to South Bend, but this is the best possible situation with the Irish fresh off a gut-punch loss to Texas A&M. It could be closer than you think for longer than you think. (Previous: 16)
17. Northwestern (1-2/0-1)
Result: lost to Oregon 34-14
Next up: idle
Comment: Quarterback Preston Stone’s efficiency rating is so low he’s not listed on the SportSource analytics database of the top 100 passers in the FBS. Six interceptions in three games will do that. (Previous: 18)
18. UCLA (0-3)
Result: lost to New Mexico 35-10
Next up: idle
Comment: Interim coach Tim Skipper has been an interim for almost as many games (13 with Fresno State last season) as DeShaun Foster was a head coach for the Bruins (15). So the Bruins have that going for themselves. (Previous: 17)
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