The Big Ten Championship is down to three teams as Iowa will take on either Michigan or Ohio State, but where does each team rank heading into the last week of the season?
The Big Ten East comes down to one game this Saturday as Ohio State will head north to take on Michigan in The Game. The winner will head to the Big Ten Championship game and keep their playoff hopes alive, while the other will have to sit and wait.
Iowa clinched the Big Ten West with a win over Illinois over the weekend and will finish their season with Nebraska on Friday.
Before we get to the final week of the regular season we take a look at our latest Big Ten power rankings.
1. Michigan Wolverines 11-0, 8-0 in the Big Ten
Last Week 1
The Wolverines picked up their 1,000 all-time win on Saturday when they beat Maryland 31-24. It was much tougher than it looked like it was going to be, but they survived and now head into their game with Ohio State undefeated. The Wolverines will be looking to beat the Buckeyes for a third straight year.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes 11-0, 8-0
Last Week 2
The Buckeyes had little trouble with Minnesota to stay undefeated. They will now go to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines. They have lost two straight to the Wolverines and are looking to avenge those losses and make it back to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time in three years.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions 9-2, 6-2
Last Week 3
The Nittany Lions bounced back from their loss to Michigan with a 27-6 win over Rutgers. It wasn’t pretty, but they got the win and can once again get to 10 wins on the season when they play Michigan State on Friday night. The Nittany Lions once again came up short of their hopes to win the Big Ten, but can still make a New Year’s Six bowl.
4. Iowa Hawkeyes 9-2, 6-2
Last Week 4
The Hawkeyes used great defense once again to beat Illinois on Saturday to clinch the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes won 15-13 and will be headed back to the Big Ten Championship game for the second time in three years.
5. Maryland Terrapins 6-5, 3-5
Last Week 5
The Terrapins lost to Michigan on Saturday, but they showed that they could compete with them and had the ball multiple times with a chance to take the lead. They just couldn’t get the offense going late and came up short. They will be going to a bowl for the third straight year, though.
6. Northwestern Wildcats 6-4, 4-4
Last Week 8
The Wildcats are going bowling and are the surprise team in the Big Ten this year. They won their second straight game for the first time this year and can guarantee a winning season if they can beat Illinois this weekend.
7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 6-5, 3-5
Last Week 5
The Scarlet Knights are 0-4 against the top teams in the Big Ten, but are 6-1 against everybody else. They have taken a step in the right direction but now needs to show that they can beat one of the big boys.
8. Wisconsin Badgers 6-5, 4-4
Last Week 13
Flip a coin at this point, because all these teams look exactly the same. The Badgers make a jump after beating Nebraska in overtime to get bowl-eligible. They haven’t looked good lately, but they got the win and now have their annual rivalry game with Minnesota on Saturday.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini 5-6, 3-5
Last Week 10
It has been a season of near misses for Illinois and it happened once again on Saturday when they nearly upset Iowa, but lost on a late touchdown. They now need to beat Northwestern on Saturday to get to bowl eligibility.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-6, 3-5
Last Week 11
Minnesota lost their third straight game on Saturday when they were overwhelmed by Ohio State 37-3. They have fallen off over the last few weeks, but can right the ship with a win over Wisconsin on Saturday. They need to victory to become bowl-eligible.
11. Nebraskas Cornhuskers 5-6, 3-5
Last Week 7
The Cornhuskers lost in overtime to Wisconsin and now must beat Iowa if they want to play in a bowl. They have played better at times this year, but still lack the consistency needed to make a big step.
12. Purdue Boilermakers 3-8, 2-6
Last Week 9
They have wins against teams ahead of them, but the whole body of work is just worse. They came up short against Northwestern on Saturday as the offense continues to struggle. They can at least win the Old Oaken Bucket on Saturday when they play Indiana.
13. Michigan State Spartans 4-7, 2-6
Last Week 14
The Spartans climbed out of the cellar thanks to their win over Indiana on Saturday. It has been a tough year for them as they lost their head coach and are going to miss a bowl, but they can end on a high note if they can upset Penn State on Friday night.
14. Indiana Hoosiers 3-8, 1-7
Last Week 12
The Hoosiers looked ok on offense when they lost to Illinois 48-45, but struggled once again on Saturday as they lost to Michigan State 24-21. It has been a bad year for the Hoosiers and Tom Allen’s seat is getting pretty warm.
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