SP+ rankings: How good are Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan actually?
The battle for the top of the Big Ten East comes to Columbus Saturday.
No. 3 Ohio State will host No. 7 Penn State in the first meeting between two of the three undefeated teams currently at the top of the Big Ten East. No. 2 Michigan, which has won each of its first seven games of the 2023 season, will take on Michigan State in East Lansing Saturday night, but will see Penn State Nov. 11 in State College, Pennsylvania, and Ohio State Nov. 25 in Ann Arbor.
But how do each of these three undefeated Big Ten East teams compare?
According to one Michigan radio host, Michigan has not had a schedule with any tests.
How good is Michigan (7-0)?
We don't know.
Rutgers (58) has been their best opponent, via SP+.
Through 9 games, every other team in the AP Top 25 will have played at least 4 opponents higher on the SP+ rankings.
UM's best opponent = every other ranked team's 5th or 6th best. pic.twitter.com/mapsxuMubt— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) October 15, 2023
According to ESPN college football writer Bill Connelly, SP+ is a "tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency" that is "intended to be predictive and forward facing" and measured "the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football."
Here's a look at the SP+ resume of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State heading into the eighth week of the college football season.
Ohio State
Ohio State is currently ranked as the second-best team in the country according to SP+ with the No. 10 offense, No. 4 defense and No. 17 special team, per the rankings.
In the Buckeyes' six wins, they have faced two teams inside the top 35 in terms of efficiency, beating No. 10 Notre Dame on the road and No. 32 Maryland at home.
Notre Dame has been the best offense (No. 20) and defense (No. 5) the Buckeyes have faced all season.
Youngstown State, as an FCS team, does not have an SP+ ranking.
Michigan
Michigan comes into Week 8 with the top SP+ ranking in the country.
The Wolverines are 0.9 points above Ohio State with the No. 9 offense, No. 3 defense and No. 7 special teams units.
But Michigan has not seen any top 50 teams, facing three teams — No. 52 Rutgers, No. 53 Nebraska and No. 56 Minnesota — within striking distance of the top-third of the SP+ rankings.
Rutgers (No. 76) was the best offense the Wolverines have seen in 2023, while Nebraska (No. 21) was the best defense.
Penn State
Penn State is the third Big Ten team in the top 10 of the latest SP+ rankings, coming in at No. 8 with the No. 24 offense, No. 2 defense and No. 101 special teams unit in terms of efficiency.
The Nittany Lions have covered the spread in each of its six wins in 2023, facing two teams inside the top 50: No. 47 West Virginia and No. 37 Iowa, which has the No. 1 defense in the country, per SP+.
The Mountaineers (No. 53) was the best offense Penn State has seen.
Penn State also faced Delaware, which does not have an SP+ ranking as an FCS team.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan analysis per ESPN's SP+ rankings
