Believe it or not, there are only two weeks left in the college football regular season. After 11 weeks, we have a pretty good handle on where the power of the Big Ten East lies, but we’re still waiting to see how the jumbled mess that is the Big Ten West shakes out.
Ohio State and Michigan continued to win and remain undefeated on the season, Penn State still looks like the best team not named Ohio State or Michigan, and the rest of the league is more inconsistent than a late fall forecast in the Midwest.
But, hey, we like a challenge — or torture depending on how you look at it — so we give it our best shot every week at stack ranking all of the Big Ten teams from worst to first in our weekly Big Ten football power rankings.
So, here we are again, with another effort that continues to see the middle of the league beat each other up and make figuring this whole thing out remarkably hard.
Here are our post-Week 11 Big Ten football power rankings.
14
Northwestern Wildcats (1-9, 1-6)
Last Week
Lost at Minnesota, 31-3
| Previous week | Change |
| 14 | no change |
We are late in the season here, and I’ve run out of creative ways to say that Northwestern lost another game. That’s all I got. Let’s move on shall we?
Next Up
at Purdue
13
Indiana Hoosiers (3-7, 1-6)
Last Week
Lost at Ohio State, 56-14
| Previous week | Change |
| 13 | no change |
Indiana didn’t just get taken behind the woodshed again this week, it got taken behind it and given a super wedgie by Ohio State. I’m not really sure where the program goes from here, but the end of the season probably can’t come soon enough for the Hoosiers.
Next Up
at Ohio State
12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-6, 1-6)
Last Week
Lost at Michigan State, 27-21
| Previous week | Change |
| 12 | no change |
The Scarlet Knights really needed to win at Michigan State to have any hopes of making a bowl game. Despite a spirited effort, they didn’t, so it’s back to chopping more wood in the offseason in hopes of making enough kindling to start a fire of momentum for next year.
Next Up
vs. Penn State
11
Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-7, 2-5)
Last Week
Lost at Michigan, 34-3
| Previous week | Change |
| 11 | no change |
Any slim shot the Cornhuskers had at waffling their way into Big Ten West contention was likely shucked with the loss to Michigan. Now that a bowl game is out of the picture, all attention will turn to the coaching search.
Next Up
vs. Wisconsin
10
Wisconsin Badgers (5-5, 3-4)
Last Week
Lost at Iowa, 24-10
| Previous week | Change |
| 8 | -2 |
We keep saying Wisconsin is a much better team at home than on the road and that proved true again as the Badgers were shaved and declawed by the Iowa defense on the road. One more win and Wisconsin at least gets to take part in a bowl game, but that will not be easy.
Next Up
at Nebraska
9
Maryland Terrapins (6-4, 3-4)
Last Week
Lost at Penn State, 31-0
| Previous week | Change |
| 6 | -3 |
Maryland is headed in the wrong direction with what looks to be another late-season swoon. Not only have the Terps lost two in a row and three of their last five, but wins have been hard to come by against the bottom of the league lately. The season can make a drastic turn if they somehow find a way to knock off Ohio State next week.
Next Up
vs. Ohio State
8
Purdue Boilermakers (6-4, 4-3)
Last Week
Won vs. Illinois, 31-24
| Previous week | Change |
| 10 | +2 |
Good Purdue made an appearance in Champaign this past week and upset Illinois, and that probably means the turnover party machine will probably set up shop in vs. Northwestern next week. It might not matter, but this team is just too inconsistent to move too far up the rankings.
Next Up
vs. Northwestern
7
Michigan State Spartans (5-5, 3-4)
Last Week
Win vs. Rutgers, 27-21
| Previous week | Change |
| 7 | no change |
After two straight wins and a victory in three of the last four, the Spartans seem to have turned things around. It helps that the team has gotten healthier on defense, but before we pat Mel Tucker on the back, it’s time to realize Michigan State only beat Rutgers by seven points. At home. One more win and Sparty heads to a bowl party.
Next Up
vs. Indiana
6
Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3)
Last Week
Won at Purdue, 24-3
| Previous week | Change |
| 9 | +3 |
Yeah, maybe I’m being too kind to Iowa here, but there are real signs of improvement — most notably by not scoring safeties and field goals — and instead turning some of those into touchdowns. The defense is still throttling people and now the offense is coming around a bit. Don’t be surprised if the Hawkeyes find their way to Indy if the trend continues. There’s a huge one on tap next week that will have a ripple effect in the West.
Next Up
at Minnesota
5
Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3, 4-3)
Last Week
Lost vs. Purdue, 31-24
| Previous week | Change |
| 4 | -1 |
Suddenly, after being in the driver’s seat for the West crown just a couple of weeks ago, Illinois finds itself in a four-way lead in a division that is going to be wilder than a frathouse weekend party. The Illini still look like the most complete team among the West contenders, but losing close games might end up costing them a trip to Indy. There’s an intriguing matchup in Ann Arbor next week.
Next Up
at Michigan
4
Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-3, 4-3)
Last Week
Won vs. Northwestern, 31-3
| Previous week | Change |
| 5 | +1 |
After some midseason injuries and issues finding consistency, the Golden Gophers seem to have found things again and are right in the mix for the West Division title. Then again, every team aside from Nebraska and Northwestern is still right there. Minnesota has feasted on three of the worst teams in the league over the last three weeks, but this Saturday will tell us a lot.
Next Up
vs. Iowa
3
Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-2)
Last Week
Won vs. Maryland, 30-0
| Previous week | Change |
| 3 | no change |
Penn State is locked in as the third-best team in the East which means it is the third-best team in the Big Ten. We don’t have to tell James Franklin that it all means the program still isn’t “elite” yet. But, hey, the Nittany Lions have a good chance of messing around and finding their way into the top 10 and into a New Year’s Six bowl.
Next Up
at Rutgers
2
Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 7-0)
Last Week
Won at vs. Nebraska, 34-3
| Previous week | Change |
| 2 | -1 |
Yes, I moved Michigan up to the No. 1 spot last week and the Wolverines dominated Nebraska this past weekend. I’m not the only one that’s gone back and forth with the Buckeyes and Wolverines as the top team in the conference, but looking at the body of work and common opponents, Ohio State has looked a tad better more often than not. So, back on top goes OSU with the titanic collision coming in just two weeks.
Next Up
vs. Illinois
1
Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0)
Last Week
Won vs. Indiana, 56-14
| Previous week | Change |
| 1 | +1 |
Ohio State looked awfully impressive against Indiana on Saturday. The offense was balanced and the defense came to play yet again. Every team has its flaws, but the body of work the Buckeyes have put together has me a believer they are the most complete team in the league. Back atop the power rankings OSU goes. Get through one more road game and the big one awaits.
Next Up
at Maryland
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