Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over
the course of the season.
The rules are few, but resolute:
Teams are ranked by how they’re playing at that time. Not body of work, not rankings in the polls, but simply how each team is playing at that point in the season.
The approach to the rankings is not necessarily on the field results (though those do count, as an obvious, tangible data point), but more generally if the two teams played at a neutral site 100 times, which team would win 51 times (or more).
These rankings are subjective. As the author I get to follow the rules as closely or loosely as I want to, and if you don’t like the rankings, you’re wrong.
Week 13 is in the books, and we’re down to the wire for teams to move up or down in these rankings. Let’s get to it!
Tier 1: Playoff Locks
Teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs, if they continue to play the way they have played thus far.
1. Ohio State
OSU beat Rutgers 42-9, and are headed for a clash with Michigan in The Game with a trip to Indianapolis on the line.
2. Indiana
The Hoosiers were on a late season bye, and will take on rival Purdue next for a spot at Indy.
3. Oregon
The Ducks passed a late season test, beating USC 42-27. Washington is up next, with outside hopes at making the B1G CCG.
Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls
Teams that could very well end up in the playoffs, but need to continue to improve their resume and move up the rankings before they can make it.
4. Michigan
The Wolverines defeated Maryland 45-20, setting up a showdown with OSU. Win (and get some help) and there’s still a chance Michigan can make their way to Indianapolis.
Tier 3: High-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that likely won’t make the playoffs, but will represent the conference in quality bowls, including the Citrus Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
5. USC
With their loss to Oregon, the Trojans are out of playoff contention. But a win against UCLA can still get USC a pretty nice bowl game.
6. Iowa
The Hawkeyes squeaked by Michigan State 20-17 in one of the worst wins of the week. But a win is a win, and rival Nebraska is up next to solidify bowl pecking order.
7. Washington
The Huskies sneakily have put together a solid season, most recently beating UCLA 48-14. Taking down the Ducks and knocking them out of Indy – and potentially even the playoffs – would be a feather in Washington’s cap.
8. Illinois
The Illini put up one of the worst performances of the weekend, falling to Wisconsin 27-10. Illinois now needs to beat Northwestern to stay ahead of the Wildcats in bowl selections.
9. Nebraska
The Huskers fell to Penn State 37-10, and looked hapless for most of the night. Good news is bowl eligibility is locked up, because a game against Iowa won’t be a fun day at the office.
Tier 4: Low-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that will end up making it to a bowl game, but likely the bowls that aren’t quite as prestigious, including the Pinstripe Bowl and the Music City Bowl.
10. Northwestern
The Wildcats upset Minnesota 38-35, and have moved to the fringes of “High Bowl” territory. They’ll take on Illinois next, wherein a win would vault them up to the next tier without question.
11. Minnesota
The Gophers fell to Northwestern, and are now looking at an upstart Wisconsin in rivalry week to try to get to a quality bowl game.
12. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights lost to OSU, which, y’know, it happens. But suddenly Rutgers needs to beat Penn State to qualify for a bowl game, which seemed a) like it wouldn’t be necessary just a few weeks ago, and b) is going to be a tough task.
Tier 5: Bowl-Ineligible Teams
Teams that are on a trajectory to end the season below .500 and miss out on a post-season bowl game.
13. Penn State
The Nittany Lions are resurgent (against two bad teams), and find themselves needing just one more win (against a bad team) to get to bowl eligibility. Can PSU win at Rutgers and move up a tier?
14. Maryland
The Terrapins couldn’t hang with Michigan, locking in a 7-loss season and bowl ineligibility. A “rivalry” game vs Michigan State is just for style points.
15. Wisconsin
The Badgers pulled off another late season upset, and are playing as well as most anyone in the conference. Unfortunately it’s too little, too late. Still, taking down Minnesota would be a fun way to end the season.
16. Michigan State
The Spartans hung out with Iowa but ultimately came up just short. The game against Maryland is what some would call a pillow fight to end the season.
17. UCLA
The Bruins have fallen all the way back to earth, and are looking at ending the season 3-9 unless they can pull off their biggest upset since beating Penn State just a few weeks ago. Here we go, UCLA!
Tier 6: The Basement™
The worst of the worst, teams whose fans wear paper bags over their heads and count down the days until they have a new head coach.
18. Purdue
The Boilermakers were on a bye, meaning they didn’t get a chance to move out of the basement. They have Indiana next, meaning they likely will be here until next August.
Random upsets = fun squiggle action!
The top 3 remain in place: Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon. Michigan and USC flip-flop. Iowa and Washington are on the climb, but Illinois and Nebraska are not. Northwestern is moving up at the expense of Minnesota and Rutgers. Penn State is tracking upward, while Maryland is heading the opposite direction, Wisconsin is climbing, Michigan State is steady, and UCLA is on the way back down. Purdue is steady in the basement.
On to Week 14!
