Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, Indiana on top as UCLA offers evidence it’s serious about the coaching search

The Big Ten power rankings will be published weekly throughout the regular season using a mix of data-driven insight and unapologetic subjectivity With 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 minutes Last week s rankings are here In episode the Big Ten isn t producing enough headlines lately what with Penn State firing James Franklin and the conference pondering a billion cash infusion the basketball school in the bottom left corner of the footprint has quietly delivered a notable nugget UCLA is getting serious about football Yes we ve heard that line before in Westwood But this instance appears different The Bruins are asking the ask while they talk the talk How do we know The University of California Board of Regents has called a special meeting for Tuesday in San Francisco to address a handful of issues including the Athletic Contract Compensation Components for UCLA Football Head Coach It s a closed session unfortunately In other words The Bruins want the governing board to approve an unprecedented salary structure for the head coach hired to replace DeShaun Foster who was dismissed last month early in his second year Foster s contract called for million average over five years His predecessor Chip Kelly made roughly million in his final season with the Bruins We suspect that taking the issue to the regents means the Bruins are seeking approval to offer annual compensation in the million range which would allow them to get an established winner at the highest level of the sport It s worth noting that former UCLA basketball member Bob Myers is on the search committee and a member of the board of regents There is nobody better to make the development for a next-level cash outlay to explain to the regents why it behooves UCLA to spend big dollars on the football coach Another key point This would not have happened under former chancellor Gene Block But his successor Julio Frenk who took command of the Westwood campus in January appears committed to saving the floundering plan The combination of Frenk Myers mega-donor Casey Wasserman and alumnus Adam Peters general manager of the Commanders plus approval from the regents provides UCLA with the chance to land a first-class coach And that would be the perfect twist to this sorry tale for we can t help but ponder the possibility that hiring Foster in the winter of will prove to have been an inadvertent masterstroke What if Foster s flameout and the outrage over athletic director Martin Jarmond s management of the venture serve as motivation for the school to overhaul its compensation philosophy and offer the type of contracts typically associated with USC Oregon Ohio State and Michigan What if Foster turns out to be the unwitting unsuspecting bridge from Block s indifferent leadership to Frenk s commitment to winning What if Jarmond s great mistake a hiring whiff for the ages leads to the Bruins offering huge dollars and landing a coach who lifts the activity out of its three-decade malaise What if absolute rock bottom was the necessary launch point for a remarkable transformation Granted it s all too rich too delicious to warrant serious contemplation at this moment But the regents meeting is an intriguing first step on what could be a fascinating road ahead for the Bruins To the power rankings All times Pacific Ohio State - - Upshot won at Illinois - Next up at Wisconsin p m on CBS Comment The Buckeyes who don t play Oregon or Indiana will be massive favorites in every event the rest of the way until the last challenge Previous Indiana - - Aftermath won at Oregon - Next up vs Michigan State p m on Peacock Comment We considered the Hoosiers for the top spot but Penn State s unmasking and the impact that had on our view of Oregon contributed to the decision to slot Indiana just below the Buckeyes Previous Oregon - - Impact lost to Indiana - Next up at Rutgers p m on Big Ten Framework Comment Among the the majority surprising developments Saturday was Oregon s inability to maintain a clean pocket Indiana had six sacks One recurring matter The running backs were ineffective in pass protection Previous USC - - Effect beat Michigan - Next up at Notre Dame p m on NBC Comment If you want to believe this isn t your slightly older sibling s USC the performance Saturday evening was compelling evidence Let s see how the Trojans fare in South Bend before fully buying in Previous Washington - - End beat Rutgers - Next up at Michigan a m on Fox Comment Given the schedule ahead the Huskies are in great shape to win eight with a reasonable shot at nine And if you had offered that scenario when Jedd Fisch took over in January every UW fan in captivity would have gladly accepted Previous Michigan - - Impact lost at USC - Next up vs Washington a m on Fox Comment The Wolverines aren t out of the danger zone with second-year Sherrone Moore enough still could go wrong this season to jeopardize his job How might that series of events begin With a loss this week that s how Previous Nebraska - - Impact won at Maryland - Next up at Minnesota Friday at p m on Fox Comment If you are tracking the Big Ten schedule with an emphasis on egregious assignments comparable to Washington playing at Maryland with the Terps coming off a bye here s one for the file Back-to-back road games for the Cornhuskers with the second scheduled for a Friday night Previous Illinois - - Upshot lost to Ohio State - Next up idle Comment The lopsided nature of the losses to Indiana points and Ohio State is far more telling than the losses themselves The Buckeyes could have won by -something but eased off the gas Previous Iowa - - Product won at Wisconsin - Next up vs Penn State p m on Peacock Comment Although it has not received much attention outside traditional Big Ten spaces the Hawkeyes are averaging points per match That doesn t seem like much but is double their average from two seasons ago Previous UCLA - - Upshot won at Michigan State - Next up vs Maryland p m on FS Comment We have seen post-firing bounces before The Bruins will return to sea level in the next week or two and finish with five wins Remember where you read it Previous Minnesota - - Outcome beat Purdue - Next up vs Nebraska Friday at p m on Fox Comment There s a path to nine wins for the Gophers which would mark the fourth such instance in PJ Fleck s nine years He doesn t get enough credit for winning consistently at a demanding place to win consistently Previous Michigan State - - Conclusion lost to UCLA - Next up at Indiana p m on Peacock Comment Jonathan Smith returning to Oregon State is a terrible idea even worse than Smith s decision to take the Michigan State job in the first place As the Hotline pronounced at the time We envision Smith getting swallowed up by the Big Ten and lost in the machinery of the massive league unable to carve an identity that works for the Spartans the way his methods worked for OSU Previous Related Articles Pac- rankings Oregon State fires Trent Bray Boise St Wazzu on top Saturday Night Five Oregon tumbles USC rises UCLA rolls and the Big Ten goes off the rails Mailbag CFB super league fate hinges on Big Ten private capital CFB recruiting Blue chippers to watch USC-Michigan and Indiana-Oregon Big Ten mulls billion in private capital to extend grant of rights Maryland - - Development lost to Nebraska - Next up at UCLA p m on FS Comment The supremacy at Wisconsin to open Big Ten play seemed to indicate major progress in College Park With hindsight it feels like a mediocre organization slapping around a dreadful opponent Previous Northwestern - - Upshot won at Penn State - Next up vs Purdue p m on Big Ten Framework Comment Who could have imagined that beating Penn State in Happy Valley would not be hailed as one of the greatest wins in school history Previous Penn State - - Consequence lost to Northwestern - Next up at Iowa p m on Peacock Comment Had the Nittany Lions purely stopped Oregon on third and fourth down in the first overtime session two weeks ago they would likely be No right now and churning toward a playoff berth We cannot recall a turn of events like this ever Previous Rutgers - - Consequence lost at Washington - Next up vs Oregon p m on Big Ten Arrangement Comment A few offense and no defense does not a contender make Previous Purdue - - Development lost at Minnesota - Next up at Northwestern p m on Big Ten Infrastructure Comment Better means better it doesn t mean good Previous Wisconsin - - Development lost to Iowa - Next up vs Ohio State p m on CBS Comment The bell that tolled in Happy Valley on Sunday is reportedly on the back of a flatbed headed west on Interstate to Madison just in event the Badgers make a change Previous Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - 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