As we head into the holiday break, there are six teams in this week’s ESPN Power Rankings with perfect records. Are they all contenders? Or are some pretenders?
Conference play typically is the real equalizer. Teams can tiptoe through nonconference schedules that have a sprinkling of challenges and a downpour of dominant wins. But at some point, the rubber meets the road. That’s where we’re headed.
The six unbeatens on this list — UCLA, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee — have had varying degrees of nonconference difficulty. But they all play in tough leagues. And for the Big Ten newcomer Bruins, a new league awaits.
UCLA has the top strength of schedule among these six at No. 26. Georgia Tech is 35th, Ohio State 76th, Maryland 94th, Tennessee 123rd and LSU 144th. The Tigers won the national championship in 2023 after a similarly non-challenging nonconference slate, so this isn’t new for them. But there is reason to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Maryland and Tennessee, which is under new…
