College football conference power rankings: Welcome back, Big Ten!

The college football conference power rankings welcome back the Big Ten.

The Big Ten is coming back, and college football became more interesting because of it.

Though the Power 5 conference won’t return until Week 9 on Oct. 24, the plan is for the Big Ten to have nine conference games to be played before the middle of December. While there is no room for error to get those nine games in, we’ll take any and all Big Ten football as long as we can get it. So welcome back to the college football conference power rankings party, Midwesterners!

Here are the college football conference power rankings entering Week 4

8. Conference USA: (9-10 overall)

The good news for Conference USA is its best team in the Marshall Thundering Herd got a strong non-conference win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers in Week 3. This propelled Marshall into the AP Top 25 Poll for the final spot. However, this ranking will be short-lived, as the Big Ten will be factored into next week’s poll. Maybe the Herd stay in the top 25, but don’t count on it.

At this juncture, Conference USA is the only FBS conference with a losing record on the year. Even though it’s only by a game, it’s something. Once the Big Ten is factored into the AP Poll again, we will not put as strong of an emphasis on overall record. The amount of ranked teams each conference has will be a better indication of a conference’s overall strength beginning in October.

7. FBS Independents: (4-0 overall)

Besides the conferences that haven’t played games yet, such as the Big Ten, the SEC and hopefully more to follow, the only undefeated “conference” in these rankings are the FBS independents. The Army Black Knights and the BYU Cougars are both ranked in the top 25 and the Liberty Flames won their first game of the season. It also seems that the UMass Minutemen plan to come back.

However, they’ve only played a combined four games this season. What’s even more awkward is the two ranked teams of this bunch were slated to play each other but had to be postponed due to coronavirus testing protocols. While we love seeing as many teams as possible play this fall, it’ll be super weird figuring out how to assess essentially the remainders of the FBS level each week.

6. Sun Belt: (10-8 overall)

The Sun Belt had its day in the sun last week when three of its teams handed three Big 12 teams big fat L’s. It was cool while it lasted, but we so anticipated a regression to the mean the following week. While the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns remain in the AP Top 25 Poll, App State fell out of the rankings after falling to Marshall of Conference USA on Saturday. Louisiana nearly lost as well.

The good news for the Sun Belt is the conference has done a fantastic job of building up credibility during the initial return of college football. Though its days of having multiple teams ranked inside of the top 25 appear to be over, we’d be totally cool with somebody like the Ragin’ Cajuns staying in the mix and keeping things really interesting in the Group of 5 for a New Year’s Six Bowl bid.

5. AAC: (8-4 overall)

For now and probably going forward, the AAC has a stranglehold as the best Group of 5 conference in the FCS. When people refer to the Power 6, it means they’re referring to college hoops to include the Big East. However, the team has crossed over to include The American in the football landscape. In some weeks, it can be the third-best conference in the country.

With three ranked teams in the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Memphis Tigers and the UCF Knights, as well as a team knocking on the door for inclusion in the SMU Mustangs, we should have anywhere between two to four AAC teams ranked in the top 25 all season long. Expect one of these four contending teams to get the New Year’s Six Bowl bid out of the Group of 5 this season.

4. Big 12: (5-3 overall)

Outside of the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, there has been no reason to be impressed with anything we’ve seen out of Big 12 competition. The Iowa State Cyclones, the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats have all lost their non-conference games to Sun Belt teams. The Oklahoma State Cowboys nearly lost at home to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

While the Pokes remain unscathed, are they really the third-best team in the Big 12? There are only three teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll out of the Big 12. Unless teams like the Baylor Bears, the TCU Horned Frogs or even the West Virginia Mountaineers decide to be good this year, it’s going to be hard for the Big 12 to get the benefit of the doubt because its middle is so bad.

3. ACC: (13-9 overall)

The gap between No. 3 and No. 4 could not be greater. Even though the Big 12 is likely getting a team into the College Football Playoff, the ACC certainly will. With nearly have of its league being ranked in the top 25, it seems as though the middle of the ACC will be able to hold its own this fall. The Clemson Tigers remain the best team in the conference, they might be challenged this season.

Okay, no, not really, but the middle of that ACC pecking order won’t be nearly as pathetic as it was a season ago. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Miami are all ranked inside of the top 15. Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Louisville still cracked the top 25. A few of those teams may drop out once the Big Ten is included in voting next week, but there’s more good than bad in the ACC this year.

2. Big Ten: (0-0 overall)

Welcome back to the party, Big Ten! It was super awkward without you. Now that we know y’all are playing some dang football in about a month, we can’t wait for you guys to strut your stuff. Even though the bottom of the Big Ten is ghastly bad, there are about five teams in this Power 5 conference capable of getting to Indianapolis, winning the title bout and making the playoff.

Ohio State is the favorite in the Big Ten East and to win it all. The Buckeyes will be challenged by Penn State and maybe even Michigan in the division. Over in the Big Ten West, Wisconsin and Minnesota should have fantastic teams, with the Badgers getting a slight edge over the Golden Gophers. The Big Ten top is great, the bottom is atrocious, but the middle remains to be seen.

1. SEC: (0-0 overall)

The SEC has more than half of its teams ranked heading into its opening weekend in Week 4. Of those eight teams that are ranked, six of them can contend for a conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth. Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M can win the SEC West, while Florida and Georgia can win the SEC East. Kentucky and Tennessee help make the middle enticing.

Of course, the SEC will have its typical three awful teams, with presumably Arkansas and Vanderbilt being two of them. But how this conference looks No. 9 to No. 12 will be a reason the SEC is the most complete conference in these rankings. The top is fantastic, the middle is very strong and the bottom, though deplorably bad, is largely contained by only two or three teams.

Overall, we have a chance to actually see some shakeup between spots No. 1 to No. 3. Though the ACC may not be better than the SEC, the gap isn’t as vast as it was nearly a season ago. The Big Ten should yield several quality teams. While the Big 12 has been an early disappointment, just be thankful you’re not the Pac-12, who may be worse than the AAC these days if we’re being honest.

It’s so good to have the Big Ten back, but will we get back the MAC, Mountain West and Pac-12?

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