Oregon received a real scare this past Saturday night in Madison.

The Ducks found themselves down 7 points in the 4th quarter to Wisconsin but managed to escape Camp Randall with a 16-13 victory to remain undefeated.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten in Week 12, Ohio State took care of business against Northwestern at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Penn State throttled Purdue and Nebraska still couldn’t get bowl eligible.

What’s in store for Week 13? Let’s take a look at the B1G’s biggest storylines … starting with a top-5 showdown at The Horseshoe.

B1G game

So here it is. Unbeaten Indiana, which has been enjoying an historic season, will face its first huge test of the season when it heads to Columbus to play Ohio State. When the Hoosiers beat Michigan before their bye this past weekend, they locked up their first 10-win season in school history. Amazing. It helped head coach Curt Cignetti land a new 8-year contract that will pay him an average of $8 million per year. The Hoosiers are very much in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff as we head deep into November. They have scored at least 40 points 7 times, won 9 times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.

But now comes Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are a machine, with their only loss being a by 1 at top-ranked Oregon. Will Howard is surrounded by a bevy of playmakers, and the running game looks ready to carry the load in a tight game. Defensively, there’s no question the unit will be tested by Kurtis Rourke and the Hoosiers. Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will present the Hoosiers offense with some creative looks. Michigan held Indiana to several season-lows on offense, most notably points (20).

IU has had an extra week to prepare for the biggest game in program history.

Can IU make this a 4-quarter game? The Hoosiers can score points … can it sustain defensively?

Trap game?

Penn State has put its loss to Ohio State behind. That much is clear. The Nittany Lions, behind Drew Allar’s 247 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, routed Purdue 49-10 this past weekend and look like a prime College Football Playoff team. Tight end Tyler Warren caught 8 more passes for 127 yards and ran for a touchdown as PSU played a complete game in all 3 phases to solidify itself in the newest CFP rankings that will be released Tuesday. But can Minnesota play spoiler this week?

The Golden Gophers did not look sharp their last time out in a 26-19 loss to Rutgers. They had a bye this past weekend, though, and prior to the loss to the Scarlet Knights they had won 4 in a row and were getting strong play from quarterback Max Brosmer. Their pass defense has been their bread and butter all year, too, so Allar and Co. have to be on guard. If they cleaned up their act from that loss to the Scarlet Knights over the bye week, this could be a tricky one for James Franklin’s bunch.

Average Bowl

It was Heartbreak City for Wisconsin, which held a 7-point 4th-quarter lead over top-ranked Oregon before the Ducks dominated the final period for a 16-13 win. Tawee Walker rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries, but the Badgers suffered their 3rd consecutive loss. Wisconsin fell to 2-15 in its past 17 games against Top 25 teams, including an 0-6 mark under Luke Fickell.

At least the Badgers don’t have to worry about beating a ranked Nebraska squad this week. The Cornhuskers lost again last weekend, this time to Jayden Maiava and USC 28-20, for their 4th straight loss. They have now lost 8 consecutive games with a chance to become bowl-eligible under Matt Rhule, and 1-score setbacks continue to remain an issue. The Huskers’ offense reached the end zone just once under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, and quarterback Dylan Raiola has thrown 7 interceptions in his past 4 games, including 2 against the Trojans. Which 5-5 team has the edge?

Other notable B1G nuggets

Purdue at Michigan State (Friday 7 pm CT, FOX): The Spartans suffered another loss this past weekend, falling to Illinois 38-16 on the road. But quarterback Aidan Chiles wasn’t the problem. He finished 23-of-40 passing for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Spartans still have lost 3 in a row and 6-of-7. The problem is MSU doesn’t have a pass rush. It didn’t register a sack for the 6th consecutive game, and the secondary is green. Starting safety Malik Spencer and cornerback Charles Brantley were injured in the loss to Indiana and are likely out for the year. The Boilermakers, however, don’t exactly pose a threat. Quarterback Hudson Card has shown flashes, but this offense is a complete mess. In Purdue’s 49-10 loss to Penn State, its lone touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from backup quarterback Ryan Browne to Max Klare in the 4th quarter.

Illinois at Rutgers: The Fighting Illini rode Josh McCray’s 3 rushing touchdowns to a 38-16 victory over Michigan State to end a 2-game losing streak. The defense registered 5 sacks as the Illini finished 6-1 at home, which is the first time they’ve won 6 home games in a season since 2001 when they won the B1G title and played in the Sugar Bowl. Bret Bielema’s squad now has road games left at Rutgers and Northwestern. The Scarlet Knights could be a tricky opponent because their 31-17 victory over Maryland this past weekend matched their most victories in B1G play since joining the league. They won for the second straight week following a 4-game skid behind solid play from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and 2 rushing scores from star running back Kyle Monangai.

USC at UCLA: B1G After Dark? This former Pac-12 clash is really interesting because the Trojans are coming off the win over Nebraska behind 4 total touchdowns from new starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, while the Bruins have been playing much better football despite their setback to Washington. Lincoln Riley’s spread offense looked sharper after a slow start. USC needs a win over UCLA or Notre Dame to avoid a losing season, though. The Bruins, meanwhile, still have a shot at making a bowl with ‘SC and Fresno State remaining. But they will need to bounce back after the loss to the Huskies. There was no run game, which left quarterback Ethan Garbers to be a 1-man show — when he wasn’t being sacked 6 times. The loss snapped UCLA’s 3-game win streak.

Iowa at Maryland: The Hawkeyes are coming off a bye, and the last time we saw them, star running back Kaleb Johnson was being held to his lowest rushing performance of the season in a 20-17 loss at UCLA. He had a season-low 49 yards on 18 carries. We’ll see if quarterback Brendan Sullivan is able to play after spraining an ankle in that one or if Jackson Stratton gets the nod. Meanwhile, the Terrapins dropped a 31-17 home decision to Rutgers, their third straight setback. For Maryland, bowl eligibility looks bleak as it must beat Iowa and Penn State to finish the regular season with 6 wins.

Northwestern at Michigan: The Wildcats just couldn’t hang with Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Carnell Tate and Ohio State in a 31-7 loss at Wrigley Field. The ‘Cats lost for the third time in 4 games, but quarterback Jack Lausch made strides. He passed for 201 yards and rushed for 44 yards and a score, though he was sacked 4 times and lost a fumble to end a very promising first drive. But the experience against the Buckeyes was needed heading into a tilt against Michigan in Ann Arbor. Sherrone Moore’s team is coming off a bye, but it’s unlikely the offense added many wrinkles with the extra time. The Wolverines’ defense gave Indiana all it could handle in a 20-15 IU win the last time we saw them, but the offense has proved costly as Michigan is still not bowl eligible.