The Houston Cougars can thank the B1G for its rise to the top

The Houston Cougars are the new kings of the castle when it comes to the college basketball rankings, and there’s a big reason why.

It turns out that the new number one can thank the Big Ten for clearing the road. The Houston Cougars are at the top of the college basketball rankings because the Big Ten is a gauntlet for any team looking to stay at the top of the heap.

The former number-one team in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers have taken care of business outside the Big Ten. That included back-to-back wins over Gonzaga and Duke. The Boilermakers are currently 23-3 and those three losses are all courtesy of the Big Ten.

The Houston Cougars should be glad they’re not in the B1G and glad that Purdue is, in fact, having to run that gauntlet. Even before the Boilermakers were knocked out of the Top spot, it was clear that the voters thought they were the best team in the country despite some close wins, including one over Nebraska basketball.

It wasn’t until Northwestern finally came along that the final nail was inserted in Purdue’s coffin. At least for now. It’s worth pointing out the Boilermakers only fell to third after the loss to the Wildcats. That would seem to indicate that the voters know that Purdue is actually the best team in the country. Now they just need to wait for Houston and Alabama to falter again.

With so little time left in the regular season, there may not be an opportunity. And the Big Ten is still there.

The Houston Cougars can thank the B1G for its rise to the top

Houston has the AAC to run through. It seems unlikely that they’re going to get handed another win in the regular season. Of course, it’s possible that they’ll find another way to mess things up.

And Purdue could rise to the top of the hill one more time. But for now, the Houston Cougars can thank the Big Ten for where they are.