Ad Disclosure
It is finally time to flip the calendar to Week 13 and Rivalry Week across college football! Believe it or, the regular season is quickly winding down, but the fun of rivalry games will carry the fun this week.
Coming out of Week 12, the B1G West is officially wrapped up with Iowa serving as the division’s representative in Indianapolis. As for the B1G East, the division once again comes down to Ohio State vs. Michigan in The Game.
Here are Tradition’s updated Big Ten Power Rankings as we come out of Week 12 and embark on Thanksgiving Week and rivalry football:
14. Indiana (3-8)
Last week: vs. Michigan State, L 24-21
Indiana’s loss to MSU will be tough to stomach for a long time, even for a program that fell to 3-8 on Saturday. The Hoosiers outgained the Spartans, won the turnover battle and were more efficient on 3rd-down conversions but could not pull off a defensive stand late. Now, the rivalry game vs. Purdue awaits.
13. Purdue (3-8)
Last week: at Northwestern, L 23-15
Hudson Card was unable to go in Week 12, and neither backup provided a major spark for the Boilermakers. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Mockobee led the offense out of the backfield, but 4 total turnovers doomed Purdue on the road.
12. Michigan State (4-7)
Last week: at Indiana, W 24-21
It’s undoubtedly a tough season for Michigan State. Without a bowl game to play for, a few trophy games to finish the year are all that’s left for the Spartans. Katin Houser stepped up with Maliq Carr and Montorie Foster Jr. making plays as MSU regained the Old Brass Spittoon from Indiana.
11. Minnesota (5-6)
Last week: at Ohio State, L 37-3
Minnesota is particularly confounding with wins over Nebraska and Iowa but losses to Illinois and Purdue and another blowout defeat in the loss to Ohio State. PJ Fleck entered the season with one of the most consistent programs in recent seasons, but now the Golden Gophers teeter on the brink of missing a bowl game in 2023.
10. Illinois (5-6)
Last week: at Iowa, L 15-13
For a second straight game, Illinois turned to John Paddock as the starting QB. He made some good plays but was less efficient against a tough Hawkeye defense while going 22-for-47 with 215 yards. Illinois’ rushing attack was also held in check with 65 rushing yards and 2.8 yards per carry. In the end, the Illini lacked just enough punch to avoid the common fate of other opponents playing in Kinnick Stadium.
9. Nebraska (5-6)
Last week: at Wisconsin, L 24-17
Nebraska has had 3 shots to secure a bowl game since improving to 5-3 with a win over Purdue. The Huskers have since lost 3 straight games by a total of 13 points and will have just one final shot to get to 6 wins. That game comes at home but will be against Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa program.
8. Wisconsin (6-5)
Last week: vs. Nebraska, W 24-17
Wisconsin’s victory was far from pretty against Nebraska, but the Badgers did erase an early 14-0 deficit in the overtime win. Braelon Allen produced a gusty outing while being listed as questionable, and Tanner Mordecai’s leadership shined through some early struggles for the team.
7. Northwestern (6-5)
Last week: vs. Purdue, W 23-15
What better way to celebrate David Braun’s appointment as the full-time head coach than securing a bowl game? Cam Porter and Ben Bryant led the Wildcat offense and a trio of defenders recorded 10+ tackles in the win.
6. Rutgers (6-5)
Last week: at Penn State, L 27-6
Rutgers is heading back to the postseason, and that’s certainly a nice building block for the program. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Knights miss out on their shot at an upset this season with 3 straight losses to ranked opponents. The offense was unable to get rolling against Penn State as Kyle Monangai was held to 39 rushing yards.
5. Maryland (6-5)
Last week: vs. Michigan, L 31-24
Maryland continues to come close but no cigar when the Terrapins face off against the B1G East’s elite teams. Things will look considerably different in the new era of the B1G, but Mike Locksley’s latest attempt at an upset was doomed by some errant throws and questionable decisions from star QB Taulia Tagovailoa.
4. Iowa (9-2)
Last week: vs. Illinois, W 15-13
Don’t look now, but Iowa is 9-2 with a shot at an improbable 10-win season. After scuffling for much of the game against Illinois, Kaleb Johnson delivered a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth and the Hawkeye defense did the rest. With the win, Iowa captures the B1G West title and will head to Indy for Championship Weekend.
3. Penn State (9-2)
Last week: vs. Rutgers, W 27-6
Penn State struggled to get things rolling in Week 12 coming off the loss to Michigan and the firing of OC Mike Yurcich. An injury to Drew Allar also slowed down the offense, but Beau Pribula led a ground game that gained over 200 yards against the Scarlet Knights. Now, Penn State gets a shot to get to 10 wins in the regular season against Michigan State.
2. Ohio State (11-0)
Last week: vs. Minnesota, W 37-3
Ryan Day’s team played as expected in Week 12. Now, the Buckeyes can turn their attention to The Game with a much healthier roster than for the same matchup a season ago. Ohio State must also head to Ann Arbor for the matchup.
1. Michigan (11-0)
Last week: at Maryland, W 31-24
It wasn’t pretty, but does that really mean anything at this point in the season? Michigan is undefeated and can advance to a third straight B1G title game with a third straight win over Ohio State. That would be unprecedented for the Wolverines — particularly with Jim Harbaugh suspended for the game.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.