Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: TV Edition

Michigan State Spartans

Ranking: 1

Last Week: 1

Move: —

The Simpsons: The Spartans have been around forever and have been a mainstay in college basketball. Even their bad seasons are good compared to their Big Ten counterparts.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Ranking: 2

Last Week: 4

Move: UP 2

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: In ‘The Fresh Prince’, Aunt Viv was replaced after the third season. She was a better actress and better suited for the role. Similarly, after Minnesota made the change at head coach with Rich Pitino, the Gophers have been a quickly improving team and are now nationally ranked.

Maryland Terrapins

Ranking: 3

Last Week: 2

Move: DOWN 1

Better Call Saul: While this team looks great on paper, the jury is still out as to if the Terrapins can actually compete with the best in the country. Don’t @ me. Better Call Saul is average at best.

Purdue Boilermakers

Ranking: 4

Last Week: 3

Move: DOWN 1

Seinfeld: Everyone goes on and on about how great Purdue is, but its loss to Western Kentucky is a glaring red mark on their resume. Seinfeld is EASILY the most overrated show of all time, and it isn’t close.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Ranking: 5

Last Week: 5

Move: —

24: Illinois used to be one of the best programs in college basketball. With a 6-0 start, Brad Underwood has this team poised for a return to dominance. Likewise, 24 was one of the best shows on TV when it premiered, but lost itself along the way. The premise of a revival on the big screen may save the franchise.

Michigan Wolverines

Ranking: 6

Last Week: 8

Move: UP 2

Survivor: Michigan does just enough every year to hang around and end up successful. John Beilein won’t be voted off the island any time soon, but his career may be nearing an end due to longevity.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ranking: 7

Last Week: 6

Move: DOWN 1

Westworld: Chris Holtmann can be likened to William, especially after their game against his old team Butler this past week. Will Holtmann, the once Butler good guy, continue to be the bad guy in the eyes of the Butler faithful? The Bulldogs victory over the Buckeyes may soften that sting.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Ranking: 8

Last Week: 10

Move: UP 2

CSI: Miami: Penn State Basketball will always play second fiddle to football and who could blame fans. As a team that has played in one postseason tournament since 2012 (2014 CBI), the Nittany Lions don’t give fans a lot to cheer about. However, some games remain entertaining.

Northwestern Wildcats

Ranking: 9

Last Week: 9

Move: —

The Walking Dead: Northwestern gets a lot more praise than they deserve for one good season, and now all the Wildcat fanboys going on and on and on about how great their team is are about as insufferable as they come.

Seriously though, if you are still watching The Walking Dead, why? The show stopped being good after the second season.

Wisconsin Badgers

Ranking: 10

Last Week: 7

Move: DOWN 3

Dexter: The Badgers came in to 2017 expected to compete for a Big Ten title and be near the top of the NCAA. After seven games, they sit at 3-4 with all four losses against ranked teams. Akin to Dexter, the final few seasons of the program were some of the worst TV in history, and this is coming from a huge Dexter fan. Perhaps the will he/won’t he retire game Ryan played caused some issues for the program and new coach Greg Gard.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Ranking: 11

Last Week: 11

Move: —

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Hawkeyes looked decent on paper. However, the Lousiana Lafayette and San Diego State games are glaring red marks on their resume. How many bad episodes did Buffy have for being such a long running show? The overall solidity of the show was ruined by some of the garbage moments.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Ranking: 12

Last Week: 13

Move: UP 1

CSI: NY: Rutgers tries so hard to be relevant but has found life in the Big Ten to be more difficult that expected. With six Big Ten wins in three years, the Scarlet Knights may never be what their counterparts are. Even Gary Sinise, one of the best actors of our time, couldn’t carry a bad TV show.

Indiana Hoosiers

Ranking: 13

Last Week: 12

Move: DOWN 1

The Big Bang Theory: Indiana fans have a bit of an inflated sense of self worth, often seeing their program as more than it is at this time. I get it — Illinois fans do the same thing. We see the past as today and know with the right pieces we can be good again. Indiana is far and away the most overrated college program/job on the planet. The Big Bang Theory? It is the most overrated show on television. Don’t believe me?

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Ranking: 14

Last Week: 14

Move: —

Cavemen: Did you know that the GEICO cavemen had their own TV show? Neither did the rest of the country. Nebraska is the only power five team to have never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, going 0-7 all time. This makes them, quite possibly, the worst team of all time.