Conference supremacy soon to be tested

It was another wild week in college football, but not so much in the Big Ten, per se.

The big game ended up being Michigan at Penn State which saw the Wolverines steal back a win over the Nittany Lions shortly after PSU appeared to be close to sealing a victory in the late stages of the game. Conversely, Ohio State rolled over Purdue, in what was thought to be a good game before the Buckeyes dominated; Michigan State didn’t give Maryland a chance; Wisconsin destroyed Northwestern; Rutgers put a beatdown on Indiana; and Iowa eked out a win over Minnesota. Nebraska and Illinois both had a bye week.

With that said, here are our current Big Ten power rankings with Week 11 in the books and the next two weeks being extremely consequential for both the conference and in the grand scheme of college football.

PREVIOUSLY: Big Ten power rankings after Week 10

Indiana Hoosiers (2-8)

Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Congratulations, Indiana — you have firmly established yourself as the worst team in the Big Ten, and now it’s by a wide margin.

After getting blown out by Rutgers, it’s actually that much more incredible that the Hoosiers were a nouveau pick to contend for the conference. They went 18-for-42 passing for a mere 177 yards and two interceptions to go along with 85 yards rushing. They also allowed 218 yards rushing to a Rutgers team that isn’t exactly high-powered on that front.

Indiana owns last place and it’s increasingly looking as if it will go winless in Big Ten play this year.

Northwestern Wildcats (3-7)

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Unlike Indiana, Northwestern at least has a Big Ten win — over the team that just beatdown the Hoosiers.

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Still, it’s a minor miracle that the Wildcats were able to score a touchdown on Wisconsin — though it did come at the expense of the Badger offense. It’s even more of a miracle that Northwestern ran for 125 yards on Wisconsin. However, throwing for four interceptions is part Badger excellence and Northwestern offensive incompetence. There’s officially no chance for bowl eligibility, lest NU win out — which wouldn’t totally surprise with Purdue and Illinois left on the schedule — and some bowl game select it as a 5-7 team.

Illinois Fighting Illini (4-6)

Photo: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois was idle this week, but dropped more because of where it stands in the Big Ten pecking order along with what other teams around it did. With an upset at Iowa this next week along with taking down Northwestern, it could somehow respectably get a bowl bid.

Maryland Terrapins (5-5)

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Remember when Maryland was 4-0, how young and naive we were? Still sitting on the brink of bowl eligibility, it’ll come down to either an improbably upset over 9-1 Michigan or against a similarly 5-win Rutgers team.

The Terps played at Michigan State in a game that perhaps could have been an upset given the Spartans’ allergy to playing pass defense. However, Taulia Tagovailoa giveth, and he also taketh away. But really, aside from his one interception, the onus is on a defense that just, well, for the lack of a better word: sucks. Maryland allowed nearly 500 yards of offense to MSU, but more importantly, allowed six touchdowns. Sitting at 2-5 in conference play, the Terrapins remain incredibly disappointing, primarily because Mike Locksley has simply chosen not to field a defense.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-7)

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Nebraska was idle this week, but its status as the permanent No. 10 on this list remains. The Huskers remain one of the most inexplicable teams in college football, having every single one of its losses appearing imminently winnable. But alas, Nebraska finds ways to lose, hence it sits at No. 10 — permanently.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5)

Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

We’re strongly rewarding Rutgers for not just beating a Big Ten team, but having done so convincingly. Now sitting at 2-5 in the conference, the Scarlet Knights are but one win away from bowl eligibility — something that appeared unthinkable a few years ago. Penn State will be a giant challenge this next week, but the season finale against Maryland could do the trick.

Regardless, job well done by the New Jersey flagship for getting to five wins on the season — a big accomplishment for Greg Schiano, no matter what happens from here.

Purdue Boilermakers (6-4)

(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

It’s past midnight and Cinderella’s glass slipper has fallen off.

After slaying former No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State, it turns out that No. 4 Ohio State is who we thought they were. And despite Purdue having the elements that seemed possible to take down the Buckeyes, OSU came out angry and aggressive, shredding an otherwise good defense while doing enough to slow the Boilermaker offense. Still, this is a remarkable year for Jeff Brohm’s squad, but it was determined to fall pretty hard, not just because it lost, but because of how it did.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4)

Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Despite losing by five points to Iowa, Minnesota moves up a spot, thanks to Purdue’s blowout loss. Now on what we can assume is the Gophers’ 18th-string running back, the fighting P.J. Flecks still managed to accumulate nearly 200 yards rushing and 220 yards passing against a very good Iowa defense. Conversely, it held Iowa to just 277 total yards — but still lost. Given that Minnesota was ranked just two weeks ago, the two-game losing streak is disappointing, but there’s no shame to lose in Kinnick Stadium, especially in a close one.

Penn State Nittany Lions (6-4)

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Penn State also moves up thanks to Purdue’s loss, but the Nittany Lions did give Michigan everything it could handle. Though Jahan Dotson was a minimal factor with 61 yards (though with 9 catches), the Penn State offensive line was a mess in trying to handle the Wolverine defensive front, which managed 7 sacks on Saturday. Still, even with a mediocre rushing attack, it was in a position to win the game — thanks to stellar defense — until that defense let a hobbled Erick All scamper for a 52 yard touchdown with minutes remaining after having just taken a late lead.

It’s disappointing that Penn State is merely 6-4 after the start it had, and without Sean Clifford’s mid-season injury it may have been better. But the big thing is it is too one-dimensional, with nearly no running game, and that allows teams like Michigan to tee off on the passing attack.

Saturday featured the second-lowest offensive output for the Nittany Lions all season long.

Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2)

Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum (65) carries the Floyd of Rosedale trophy into the locker room with teammates after a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes beat the Golden Gophers, 27-22.

Iowa survived Minnesota in a good, not great, game, led again by quarterback Alex Padilla. Kudos to the Hawkeyes, especially on defense, for holding strong after the Gophers attempted several drives near the end of the game for the comeback win. Also, despite expectations being higher mere weeks ago, Iowa reaching 8-2 with as many flaws as it has on offense is a pretty spectacular achievement.

Wisconsin Badgers (7-3)

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

The Badgers are the hottest team in the Big Ten and have the longest winning streak besides Ohio State.

Wisconsin bludgeoned Northwestern and Graham Mertz actually had some respectable numbers, for once, going 18-for-23 for 216 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception (of course). The run game got 268 yards, led again by Braelon Allen and the defense didn’t allow a touchdown. All-in-all, another solid performance, and it’s increasingly looking like the Badgers will be the Big Ten West’s representative in Indianapolis, unless it melts down the next two weeks against Nebraska and Minnesota.

Michigan Wolverines (9-1)

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Michigan went into Happy Valley and won the kind of game many say it doesn’t under Jim Harbaugh — a road game in which it was (initially, though it changed over the week) an underdog, against a ranked team (according to both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, though not in the College Football Playoff rankings). Cade McNamara did just enough while Hassan Haskins carried the load on the ground. The defensive front was stellar and the secondary did a fantastic job of holding Jahan Dotson in check (at the expense of Parker Washington having a big day).

Also, the Wolverines found a way to win, most importantly, especially when the circumstances appeared dire. Momentum had shifted away from the maize and blue but they grabbed it back when the game was on the line in the waning minutes. With Maryland up next, a 10-win season appears likely — unfathomable after the 2020 season.

Michigan State Spartans (9-1)

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

MSU bounced back despite facing a team that exuded its Kryptonite in spades, given the prolific Maryland passing offense. With 194 yards rushing and 287 yards passing, the Spartans punished the Terps for not having a defense, while also holding the Maryland run game in check. While Michigan’s win over Penn State may have been more impressive given the quality of opponent, there was nothing unimpressive about how Michigan State outworked Maryland in a game that honestly wasn’t even as close as the final score.

The pass defense is still questionable, and with games against Ohio State and Penn State next, we’ll really know how real the Spartans are quite soon.

Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1)

(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

The king is alive and well, it seems.

In these pages, though it did come with a disclaimer that I didn’t think it would happen, I predicted a Purdue upset over Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes proved me very wrong, finally looking like an elite team against another with a winning record. Though the defense gave up just shy of 500 total yards, the offense was unstoppable with 624 yards of its own. In short, this looked more like we expect OSU to look against an overmatched, but good opponent.

MSU and Michigan loom the next two weeks. Win those, and Indianapolis for a fifth-straight year is in the cards.

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