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Weekly Big Ten Hockey Power Rankings

Here are our Big Ten hockey power rankings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Published

7 months ago

February 22, 2023

Feb 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Cam Thiesing (15) tries to shovel the puck past Michigan Wolverines goaltender Erik Portillo (1) during the first period of the Faceoff on the Lake outdoor NCAA men s hockey game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Hockey Ncaa Men S Hockey Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes

Another fantastic weekend of Big Ten hockey has come and gone, and while the standings may look similar, the power rankings do not. Let’s dive into this week’s Big Ten hockey power rankings.

1. Minnesota

This one feels pretty obvious seeing as the Golden Gophers are the undisputed Big Ten Champions for the second year in a row. Over the weekend, Minnesota walked into Pegula Ice Arena in State College, PA, and left with back-to-back victories over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. Not just anyone can sweep a bona fide top-10 team like Penn State, which leaves the Gophers at the top spot in our power rankings.

2. Michigan

It was a rough weekend for the Michigan Wolverines, who went 0-1-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes during a two-game road trip to Ohio. Still, the Michigan hockey team holds sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings, are ranked No. 4, and are one of two Big Ten programs with 20-or-more wins so far this season. One rough weekend doesn’t make or break a team, so we are leaving the Wolverines in 2nd place heading into their series with Notre Dame at Yost Ice Arena this weekend.

3. Ohio State

You don’t beat the nation’s No. 4 by two and take the season series (2-1-1) without being a true contender. Ohio State has seen its ups and downs so far this year, but as of late, it seems that the Buckeyes are trending in the right direction. OSU is ranked No. 8 in the nation right now, which leaves them in a good spot come Big Ten and NCAA tournament time.

4. Penn State

It was a tough weekend for the Penn State Nittany Lions, which seems to be a theme as of late. Over the most recent weekend, the Lions dropped both games to now-No. 1 Minnesota at home — both were lost in different fashions. On Friday night, the Nittany Lions were obliterated by Minnesota, 7-2, before dropping Saturday’s game by one in a heart-breaker. Still, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the country and No. 4 in our Big Ten hockey power rankings.

5. Michigan State

Despite a 16-16-2 overall record, the Michigan State Spartans are still the 5th-best team in the Big Ten and ranked in the top-20 nationally. The Spartans have had a rough few weeks as of late — especially being swept by the Michigan Wolverines just over a week ago — yet MSU is still in good shape. That said, we aren’t so sure that the Spartans will make it come NCAA tournament time.

6. Notre Dame

Somehow, despite being up-and-down all season long and sitting at .500 on the season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not the worst team in the Big Ten hockey power rankings. In fact, the Irish are currently ranked in the most recent top-20 poll after going 1-0-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their most recent series. The Irish will face No. 4 Michigan in the final series of the season this weekend.

7. Wisconsin

Yikes is pretty much all I have to say. So far this year, the Wisconsin Badgers have not been doing too hot — they’re the only Big Ten team below .500 on the season (12-20-0) and have an abysmal Big Ten record (5-17-0). Additionally, the Badgers are the only Big Ten team not ranked in the top-20 polls. It’s been a rough year for the Badgers to this point, so they come in last in our weekly Big Ten hockey power rankings.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh sends positive message

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1 month ago

August 22, 2023

CJ Mangum

Michigan football coach, Jim Harbaugh, imposed suspension, East Carolina

Yesterday, an announcement was made that Jim Harbaugh, who is heading into his 9th year as the head Michigan football coach and has guided his Wolverines to a pair of Big Ten titles and more over the past two seasons, will be suspended for three games during the upcoming college football season. This suspension includes Michigan’s season opener against East Carolina, which is just 11 days away. Nevertheless, even with news of this self-imposed suspension, both he and his team are maintaining a positive outlook. Harbaugh conveyed in his statement, “Don’t get bitter, get better.”

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh maintains a positive outlook despite self-imposed suspension

Jim Harbaugh is undeniably one of the most esteemed college football coaches in the game; however, despite his ongoing confrontations with the NCAA and other issues, the University of Michigan has made the decision to suspend Harbaugh for the entire non-conference schedule of the Wolverines. Notably, Harbaugh will be absent from the team’s highly anticipated ‘Maize Out’ season opener against East Carolina, which is set to take place on September 2nd at ‘The Big House.’

Yesterday, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh said the following regarding his self-imposed suspension: “I will continue to do what I always tell our players and my kids at home, ‘Don’t get bitter, get better.'”

In addition to Harbaugh’s statement, the University of Michigan and Athletic Director Warde Manuel also issued statements. Furthermore, we spoke to several Michigan football players yesterday, all of whom appeared to dismiss the news. They stated that this development will only serve to further motivate them to play at their best and achieve a 3-0 start to the year.

Even with an incoming self-imposed suspension, it’s clear that Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and his team are ready for the 2023 season and will deal with these new hurdles as they come — per usual, the Maize and Blue are maintaining a positive outlook despite all of the outside noise.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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BREAKING: Michigan football lands four-star EDGE recruit

Michigan football just landed another blue-chip recruit for the 2024 recruiting class with edge rusher Jacob Smith.

Published

2 months ago

July 13, 2023

Augie Pasche

Apr 1, 2023; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the field during the Spring Game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan football recruiting has done a fantastic job assembling the No. 4 composite-ranked recruiting class in 2024, and they continue to add to it even in July. Earlier today, four-star edge rusher Jacob Smith announced his commitment to the Michigan Wolverines.

Four-star edge rusher Jacob Smith commits to the Michigan football 2024 recruiting class

Smith currently plays high school football at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. He is currently ranked as the No. 4 composite recruit from Connecticut and the No. 17 composite-ranked edge prospect from 247 Sports.

In addition to Michigan, Smith held offers from top schools such as Alabama, Georgia, and USC. On June 2nd, Smith took his official visit to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were one of only two schools to which Smith took official visits, with Nebraska being the other.

Michigan football has more than proven its ability to develop dominant edge rushers. In recent years, Michigan football has produced some elite pass rushers such as Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Mike Morris. Smith could develop into a lethal weapon for the Wolverine defensive line in future years to come.

Jim Harbaugh’s already elite 2024 recruiting class continues to get better

Jim Harbaugh is in the midst of assembling one of the greatest recruiting classes in his tenure at Michigan. Even in July, Harbaugh is adding blue-chip recruits to the 2024 class to make it even better.

Michigan football will likely lose several notable starters to the NFL following the 2023 season. The 2024 recruiting class will join the Wolverines at a perfect time to start a new chapter of Michigan football.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football ranked top 5 in latest PFF power rankings

Michigan football was recently ranked No. 4 in the new Pro Football Focus power rankings.

Published

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June 22, 2023

Augie Pasche

Michigan football is gearing up for yet another big year in 2023. The Wolverines are returning a significant amount of starters from last year, especially on offense. With such a strong returning roster, Michigan football ranked in the top five of the most recent Pro Football Focus power rankings for the 2023 season.

Michigan football ranked No. 4 in the latest PFF power rankings

Entering the 2021 season, Michigan football started the season unranked. Despite making the playoffs that year, the Wolverines entered the next season having only the No. 8 preseason ranking. Finally, after two years of dominant football, the Wolverines are getting the credit they deserve as a preseason top-five team.

Pro Football Focus recently unveiled their college football power rankings and ranked Michigan football No. 4. Here is the complete list of top 10 rankings.

🚨COLLEGE FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS🚨 pic.twitter.com/1v2rshA29C

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 22, 2023

Each Power Five conference has at least one member in the top 10 rankings. The SEC has the most representation with four teams, and the Big Ten has the second most with three teams.

Ohio State and Alabama ranked above the Wolverines despite worse 2022 records

While many people considered Michigan’s victory over Ohio State in 2021 a fluke, the Wolverines proved they were the better team by beating the Buckeyes again in 2022. Still, Michigan football is treated as the worse of the two programs, with PFF ranking Ohio State higher than Michigan

In addition to Ohio State, PFF ranked Alabama above Michigan as well. Alabama is currently coming off a season where they missed the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. In addition, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young left for the NFL this offseason, meaning Alabama will have to find success with a brand-new starter.

The Wolverines assembled an overall record of 13-1 last year. Alabama and Ohio State each had records of 11-2. Michigan football will have to prove once again in 2023 that they are truly the better team.

If Jim Harbaugh can manage to beat the Buckeyes for a third straight year and finally win a playoff game, the Wolverines may finally get the recognition they deserve as the better program.