Ready or not: Way-too-early 2022 Big Ten football power poll (#8. Minnesota)




Why is Purdue ahead of us? They havent beaten us in 5 yrs.
He's is projecting next year and is the Purdue writer. #8 seems low to me.

What happens if the WI running back is hurt? What do they have?

Purdue struggles to win all the blood baths in the West, so I tend to agree with you.
 
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I don't have an issue with our ranking, but it's funny that Wisconsin is still considered the default West champion every preseason when they've won it once in the last 4 years.
Yeah, no point getting worked up over any of this kind of off season filler but there does need to be an adjustment to how Wisconsin is viewed. They still seem to get looked at as the class of the West even though there is little to no separation between them and the rest of the pack at this point.

I will say that Penn State is too high in this ranking and MSU will probably drop back to the pack some as well since they were super fortunate to end up with the record they did last year.
 


It’s a Purdue article so I get why they have them overrated.
Don’t understand the Michigan state love to be honest.

to me Purdue is clearly the team in between the top and the bottom.
1) Ohio state

2-7 really interchangeable
2) Michigan
3) minnesota
4) wisconsin
5) iowa
6) penn state
7) Michigan state

8) Purdue

9) Maryland
10) Rutgers
11) illinois
12) Nebraska
13) northwestern
14) Indiana
He's are projecting next year and is the Purdue writer. #8 seems low to me.

What happens if the WI running back is hurt? What do they have?

Purdue struggles to will all the blood baths in the West, so I tend to agree with you.
Purdue has a cake schedule next year. They could easily go 4-2 in the division and win it anyways
 


It’s a Purdue article so I get why they have them overrated.
Don’t understand the Michigan state love to be honest.

to me Purdue is clearly the team in between the top and the bottom.
1) Ohio state

2-7 really interchangeable
2) Michigan
3) minnesota
4) wisconsin
5) iowa
6) penn state
7) Michigan state

8) Purdue

9) Maryland
10) Rutgers
11) illinois
12) Nebraska
13) northwestern
14) Indiana

Purdue has a cake schedule next year. They could easily go 4-2 in the division and win it anyways
I would move Michigan up into the tier with Ohio State and Purdue into the group with us. But as to the order the teams will finish in, that is just wild guesses at this point and could really turn out any number of ways.
 

Gophers will pretty much be what they've been under Fleck the last few years. A really solid team that won't be an easy out, but won't become championship level until they have something resembling an above average QB. They won't have that for at least another year.

But the good news in the Big Ten West is, Iowa and Wisconsin don't have one, either.
 



I don't have an issue with our ranking, but it's funny that Wisconsin is still considered the default West champion every preseason when they've won it once in the last 4 years.
didn't they win it in 2019? I remember them beating us in a snowstorm in a winner-wins-the-west game...
 


It’s a Purdue article so I get why they have them overrated.
Don’t understand the Michigan state love to be honest.

to me Purdue is clearly the team in between the top and the bottom.
1) Ohio state

2-7 really interchangeable
2) Michigan
3) minnesota
4) wisconsin
5) iowa
6) penn state
7) Michigan state

8) Purdue

9) Maryland
10) Rutgers
11) illinois
12) Nebraska
13) northwestern
14) Indiana

Purdue has a cake schedule next year. They could easily go 4-2 in the division and win it anyways
Mich. St. ranked lower might mean that Purdue's victory against them wasn't so great.
 




Mich. St. ranked lower might mean that Purdue's victory against them wasn't so great.
I think Michigan state was the clear number 3 in 2020 but I don’t think they’re necessarily better than a 6-6 or 7-5 team in 2021

I also don’t think Purdue is much better than the 8th best team in 2021 but with their schedule they’re only 1-2 upsets away from winning the west. They seem like the clear #4 in the west but by far the easiest schedule of the top 4.
 

OP was right. They won it once in last 4 years.
2018: Northwestern
2019: Wisconsin
2020: Northwestern
2021: Iowa
My brain read it as "they haven't even won it once in 4 years."
Still a strange way to put it.
 

At this point in the offseason.....this is the laziest fluff possible.
 

Im sorry, but how in the hell is Purdue 6th without Bell and Karlaftis and we are 8th?
 

Im sorry, but how in the hell is Purdue 6th without Bell and Karlaftis and we are 8th?
Not saying whether or not they should be ahead of us, but to play devil's advocate we are also losing most of our O-line and D-line, Coney Durr, Ky, and other key pieces. They were about equal to us last year, and both teams return their starting QB. It's not the most absurd ranking.
 

If I had to bet—Gophers finish in the top 6 of the conference. But I’m not offended by 8. Lots of new faces next year.
 

Most of the these early rankings are based on a pretty simple analysis of the teams - based - I assume - on graduation losses and returning starters.

For the Gophs, as noted, lots of starters lost on OL and DL, plus injury issues at RB.

obviously, the transfer portal will impact the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various teams, and I doubt that these type of articles are including a deep dive on portal additions and subtractions.

In the end, it doesn't mean squat.
 





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