We are just two weeks away from knowing who will be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game, and one team has all but locked up the first spot. Here are the Week 13 Big Ten Power Rankings:
As the Michigan Wolverines were on their second bye week, the Oregon Ducks handled business to stay undefeated in their first year as a member of the Big Ten. Ohio State steamrolled Northwestern, and Penn State stayed in the mix with a win as well.
This week will tell us a lot with big time matchups. Here are this week’s Big Ten Conference Power Rankings.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
(1-9, 0-7 Big Ten) — Last Week: 18
Purdue was blown out once again on Saturday, this time losing 49-10 to Penn State. Only two games remain for the Boilermakers until this atrocious season ends.
17. Northwestern Wildcats
(4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 17
Northwestern didn’t completely fold against Ohio State at Wrigley Field, but the Buckeyes took over and ran the Wildcats out of the baseball stadium from the middle of the second quarter onward. Northwestern will try to steal a win in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
16. Maryland Terrapins
(4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) — Last Week: 16
Maryland was beating Rutgers , 17-14, in the third quarter, but the Terrapins were outscored 17-0 in the final 20 minutes to drop their third straight game. Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 335 yards and a touchdown, but the defense gave up 370 total yards. Maryland will host Iowa on Saturday.
15. Nebraska Cornhuskers
(5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 13
The Cornhuskers have now lost four straight games, most recently falling to USC, 28-20. Quarterback Dylan Raiola struggled once again by throwing two interceptions. Not to mention, Nebraska converted just 5-of-13 third downs. It’s another close loss, and the Huskers are still searching for their bowl-clinching win with Wisconsin and Iowa left on the schedule.
14. Michigan State Spartans
(4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 12
Michigan State lost to Illinois, 38-16, making it three straight losses for the Spartans. They struggled to move the ball on the ground, rushing for 87 total yards, and converted just 2-of-15 third downs. The Spartans will face a relatively easy test with Purdue this weekend.
13. UCLA Bruins (4-6, 3-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 10
The Bruins competed hard against Washington, but the bid for a fourth straight win came up short. The Bruins will face rival USC at the Rose Bowl this weekend.
12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 15
Rutgers beat Maryland, 31-17, over the weekend. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis did not turn over the football and threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Kyle Monangai had 97 yards and two touchdowns. After a strong start to the season, the Scarlet Knights will try to get back to .500 in conference play on Saturday against Illinois.
11. USC Trojans (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 14
The Trojans made a bold move, benching starting quarterback Miller Moss for freshman Jayden Maiava, and Maiava made the most of his first start at quarterback. He threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. Running back Woody Marks was impactful as well, rushing for 146 yards. USC is one win away from a bowl game, and it will travel 20 minutes across Los Angeles to face UCLA.
10. Washington Huskies
(6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 11
Washington is the poster child for home-field advantage in college football. The Huskies are 6-0 in Seattle this year, with all five of their losses coming on the road. In the win over UCLA, defensive lineman Russell Davis II had three sacks. In addition, running back Jonah Coleman had 95 yards and two touchdowns. The Huskies have a bye week before finishing the year at Oregon.
9. Michigan Wolverines (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 9
Michigan was on bye and will host Northwestern in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
8. Minnesota Golden Gophers
(6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 8
The Gophers have already secured wins over two top-25 teams – USC and Illinois — and have the chance to ruin another ranked team’s College Football Playoff hopes this weekend against Penn State. With two weeks to prepare for the Nittany Lions, it should be a fun matchup.
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
(6-3, 4-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 7
Iowa was off this past weekend and will travel to College Park this Saturday to face off against Maryland.
6. Wisconsin Badgers
(5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 6
Wisconsin came up just short against Oregon, falling 16-13 in a game that was a nail-biter until the very end. Quarterback Braedyn Locke was held to just 96 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception, but running back Tawee Walker carried the load on offense, rushing 20 times for 97 yards. The Badgers will try to clinch their sixth win in Lincoln.
5. Illinois Fighting Illini
(7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 5
Illinois may have lost its two previous games, but it came to play against Michigan State on Saturday. In the 38-16 win, quarterback Luke Altmyer threw two touchdown passes and had 231 passing yards, while running back Josh McCray ran for 61 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries. With two games remaining, Illinois has the opportunity to put up its best season since 2007.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
(9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 4
Quarterback Drew Allar completed 17-of-19 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns against Purdue, while tight end Tyler Warren was everywhere on the field, totaling 127 receiving yards, 63 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns. The Nittany Lions still have a chance to make the CFP, but will need to beat a tough Minnesota team on the road.
3. Indiana Hoosiers
(10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 3
Indiana had two weeks to prepare for its biggest game of the season, and potentially the biggest game ever for the program. Indiana could essentially secure a spot in the Big Ten Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff with a win over Ohio State in Columbus.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 2
The Buckeyes handled business over Northwestern and can now set its sights on Indiana and the potential for a spot in the Big Ten Championship.
1. Oregon Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 1
The Ducks essentially clinched a Big Ten Championship appearance with a win over Wisconsin on Saturday. It wasn’t easy, and Oregon needed every minute of the game to defeat the Badgers, but running back Jordan James and kicker Atticus Sappington did just enough in the fourth quarter to squeak out the win. The Ducks are off this week and can set their sights on Indy, barring anything wild.