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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Phil Harrison

Big Ten football power rankings after Week 13: Statement made.

Each week, we look around at the results of the Big Ten football season and try to make sense of the power in the league. During this college season, there was a clear line drawn between Ohio State and Michigan, and the rest of the league. Penn State seemed to be the next team in the pecking order, and then there was a muddled mess after that.

And while we swung back and forth between the Buckeyes and Wolverines all season as things ping-ponged around from week to week, we finally got that matchup of the two power brokers in the league during Week 13 and now have a clear winner.

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Beyond that though, what does the rest of the power rankings look like now that the dust has settled on the regular season? Here’s how we see everything at the end of the rope that is the Big Ten football season.

14
Northwestern Wildcats (1-8, 1-11)

Sep 30, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Northwestern Wildcats helmets on the field prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Illinois, 41-3

Previous week Change
14 no change

Northwestern’s season has mercifully come to an end. We’re still not sure how the Wildcats beat Nebraska in Ireland aside from a guess that maybe the ‘Huskers spent a really late night in a pub the night before the game.

13
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-8, 1-8)

Nov 20, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; A detailed view of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football helmets during a warmup prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost at Maryland, 37-0

Previous week Change
13 no change

It was a poor, poor finish to the season for Rutgers. If Greg Schiano wants to wrangle some momentum for the program, things need to be more competitive next season. Remember, college football was invented in Piscataway, or so I am told by Scarlet Knight fans — a lot.

12
Indiana Hoosiers (4-8, 2-7)

Sep 5, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; A Indiana Hoosiers helmet sits on the ground while the players warm up before the game at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Purdue, 30-16

Previous week Change
12 no change

Yep, we can confirm the win over the Spartans the week prior was a fluke. Indiana will now turn the page to trying to be good at American football in 2023.

11
Michigan State Spartans (5-7, 3-6)

Michigan State’s Jalen Nailor wears the “S” logo on his helmet along with the rest of the Spartans for the game against Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost at Penn State, 35-16

Previous week Change
10 -1

There was a period of time in the middle of the year when it seemed like the Spartans were getting healthy and figuring things out. Then, the Michigan fiasco happened with off-the-field problems that resulted in a limp to the finish line.

10
Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-8, 3-6)

Oct 6, 2018; Madison, WI, USA; A Nebraska Cornhuskers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Iowa, 24-17

Previous week Change
11 +1

I mean, there were some signs of life for the Nebraska program heading down the stretch, right? There’s still a big hole to climb out of, and now the Matt Rhule era begins.

 

9
Wisconsin Badgers (6-6, 4-5)

Nov 9, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; A Wisconsin Badgers helmet during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Minnesota, 23-16

Previous week Change
9 no change

Usually, Wisconsin plays much better at home, but Minnesota was able to get it done in Camp Randall to cap off a very, very disappointing season in Madison. Where do the Badgers go from here?

 

8
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5, 5-4)

Dec 4, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detailed view of Iowa Hawkeyes helmet on the sidelines in the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Nebraska, 24-17

Previous week Change
4 -4

Shame on us for believing that Iowa had turned the corner and had become a formidable foe. All the Hawkeyes needed to do was win at home and they were Indy-bound. Nope, a loss to Nebraska reminds us that the only thing consistent about this program is that it will continue to be inconsistent.

 

7
Maryland Terrapins (7-5, 4-5)

Sep 30, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of Maryland Terrapins helmets during pre-game before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Won vs. Rutgers, 37-0

Previous week Change
8 +1

Maryland has gotten healthy and has played much better in the last couple of weeks. The Terps finished on a high note with a win an impressive shutout win vs. Rutgers and will now set their sights on the postseason.

6
Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4, 5-4)

Nov 10, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of a Minnesota Golden Gophers helmets before a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at TCF Bank Stadium. Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Wisconsin, 23-16

Previous week Change
7 +1

It was an up-and-down season for Minnesota, but mostly up that ended on a pretty high note with a tough win on the road vs. Wisconsin. There should be a decent bowl awaiting the Golden Gophers.

 

5
Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4, 5-4)

Dec. 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; General view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second quarter against California Golden Bears at Levi’s Stadium. Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Northwestern, 41-3

Previous week Change
6 +1

By all accounts and measures, it was a successful season in Champaign. Despite missing out on the Big Ten West division title, Bret Bielema has the program pointed in the right direction with the mindset and culture. Illini fans should be excited about the future.

4
Purdue Boilermakers (8-4, 6-3)

Oct 14, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; A Purdue Boilermakers helmet during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Indiana, 30-16

Previous week Change
5 +1

After all the tiebreaking scenarios that we thought would come into play, Purdue ended up winning the West outright. Now it’s off to Indy to see if the Boilermakers can put up a fight against a Michigan team on a mission.

3
Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2)

Nov 16, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet prior to the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won vs. Michigan State, 35-14

Previous week Change
3 no change

What would happen if Penn State played Ohio State and Michigan again? This feels like the most improved team in the Big Ten and one that deserves an invite to a New Year’s Six bowl as a top eight ballclub.

2
Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1)

Oct. 1, 2022; Columbus; A sticker-laden Ohio State Buckeyes helmet sits on the turf during warmups before Saturday’s game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Columbus. Barbara Perenic/Columbus Dispatch

Last Week

Lost vs. Michigan, 45-23

Previous week Change
1 -1

For the first time since 2011, Ohio State didn’t grab at least a share of the Big Ten East division title. What would be a fantastic season for almost every other program in the country will be one of despair once again. The Buckeyes are probably headed to the Rose Bowl unless USC stubs its toe in the Pac-12 Championship game. Then, maybe a CFP invite awaits. Don’t hold your breath.

1
Michigan Wolverines (12-0, 9-0)

Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A Michigan Wolverines football helmet sits on the field prior to the game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Michigan Wolverines at Hard Rock Stadium. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won vs. Ohio State, 45-23

Previous week Change
2 +1

Michigan manhandled Ohio State in the second half again. We can’t bring ourselves to write too many superlatives for TTUN, so we’ll leave things right here. Congrats?

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

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