ESPN’s Sports Analytics Team released its preseason Football Power Index last week, and the Big Ten took a bit of whooping.
Only three conference teams landed in the Top 25 of the rankings. The highest was Michigan at No. 11 -- significantly further down the food chain than most early preseason rankings expect the Wolverines to be.
Poor rankings led to poor schedule strength. The five weakest schedules among Power 5 schools next season belong to Big Ten teams, according to the FPI. Only four Big Ten schedules are ranked in the Top 50 (none higher than Ohio State at No.