Each week during the regular season, BadgerBlitz.com will compile a power rankings article that ranks each program in the conference from best to worst. Oregon and Penn State will do battle in Indianapolis on Saturday night for the Big Ten crown, but how does the rest of the conference stack up?
Without further ado, here's every team ranked from first to worst:
1. Oregon Ducks
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Washington, 49-21
PREVIOUS RANK: 1
MOVEMENT: N/A
Oregon left nothing in doubt against the team that ruined its season — twice — last year. Penn State awaits in the Big Ten title game.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Maryland, 44-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 3
MOVEMENT: +1
Penn State got some help from Michigan, whose victory over Ohio State punched the Nittany Lions' ticket to Indianapolis. They've hardly been tested this season, beating then-No. 19 Illinois at home and falling to then-No. 4 Ohio State at home as well. That'll change against the Ducks.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Michigan, 13-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 2
MOVEMENT: -1
Ohio State played like it knew it couldn't lose. Like it knew it was playing for its head coach's job. Like it was tight and tense. Lo and behold, they Buckeyes lost. One of the biggest deciding factors in The Game has always been which team is in the other team's head. After four straight losses to "The Team up North," it's clear that the Wolverines live rent free in Columbus right now.
4. Indiana Hoosiers
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Purdue, 66-0
PREVIOUS RANK: 4
MOVEMENT: N/A
Indiana certainly blew off some steam against the rival Boilermakers after the Ohio State loss in a 66-0 smackdown. Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers now have their eyes on what would be quite possibly the most unexpected College Football Playoff bid of all time.
5. Michigan Wolverines
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Ohio State, 13-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 9
MOVEMENT: +4
What an unreal win for Michigan. Many pundits believed the Buckeyes would take out three years of frustration against a Michigan offense that'd been horrendous and a banged-up defense. But the Wolverines came to play, with a lights-out defensive performance and, just like earlier in the season against USC, a cutch Kalel Mullings run that iced the game. Michigan knew it was playing with house money, and it once again prolonged the misery of its bitter rival.
6. Illinois Illini
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Northwestern, 38-28
PREVIOUS RANK: 5
MOVEMENT: -1
What a season for an Illini team that started the year at No. 15 in these rankings. After taking down the Wildcats off the back of an 172-yard, three-touchdown performance from tailback Aidan Laughery, Illinois has a chance to play for its first 10-win season since 2001.
7. Minnesota Gophers
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Wisconsin, 24-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
MOVEMENT: -1
Like Illinois, Minnesota's drop here is more about Michigan's leap. The Gophers won convincingly in Camp Randall Stadium, reclaiming Paul Bunyan's Axe and handing Wisconsin its most depressing loss in recent memory. At 7-5, the Gophers quietly had a bounce-back season after going 6-7 in 2023.
8. Iowa Hawkeyes
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Nebraska, 13-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
MOVEMENT: -1
Down 10-0 at halftime, Iowa clawed its way back to beat Nebraska in what was a razor thin game. The difference? Iowa has tailback Kaleb Johnson, and the Huskers don't. His 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown, shedding many-a-tackler in the process, was the difference in the game.
9. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Michigan State, 41-14
PREVIOUS RANK: 13
MOVEMENT: +4
A cathartic win for Greg Schiano and company. Rutgers now has a chance at an 8-win season after winning seven games last year. Baby steps, but definite steps in the right direction. What can take this team over the top and allow it to compete for a College Football Playoff spot? That remains to be seen, but eight wins and a rejuvenated program is certainly a start.
10. Washington Huskies
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Oregon, 49-21
PREVIOUS RANK: 8
MOVEMENT: -2
This was one of the most predictable title-game hangovers in recent memory. Washington's roster was nothing close to the one that took it all the way to the national championship last season, and the Huskies finished the regular season 6-6 with a 4-5 mark in conference play.
11. USC Trojans
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Notre Dame, 49-35
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
MOVEMENT: -1
A heartbreaking loss for USC, which was in a great spot late in the game against the Irish, driving the field down just one score. Then, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava threw not one, but two consecutive back-breaking pick-sixes to seal it for Notre Dame. This will be USC's worst finish since 2021, when it went 4-8 in Clay Helton's last year as skipper.
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Iowa, 13-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 11
MOVEMENT: -1
Nebraska, Nebraska, Nebraska. Even though, as mentioned, one heroic catch-and-run by the superstar tailback Johnson was the difference, this felt like yet another winnable game the Huskers gave away. No matter; this team is 6-6 and more importantly, bowl eligible! How can Dana Holgorsen, the newly-minted full-time offensive coordinator, help grow this unit and develop quarterback Dylan Raiola? That'll be the million-dollar question for the Huskers this offseason.
13. UCLA Bruins
WEEK 14 RESULT: Beat Fresno State, 20-13
PREVIOUS RANK: 14
MOVEMENT: +1
The fact that UCLA nearly finished bowl-eligible after starting 1-5 is a testament to the Bruins' coaching in the second half of the season. Initially, first-year head coach Deshaun Foster looked woefully unprepared to be the face of a Big Ten program. There's still plenty of work to be done, but this could've been a disaster. It wasn't.
14. Wisconsin Badgers
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Minnesota, 24-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 12
MOVEMENT: -2
Losing to your rival is one thing. Losing in humiliating fashion, in a way that indicated you never really had a chance in the first place, is another. This is the second-lowest the Badgers have been ranked this year, just above their perch at No. 15 following the 42-10 loss to Alabama in Week 3.
15. Northwestern Wildcats
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Illinois, 38-28
PREVIOUS RANK: 17
MOVEMENT: +2
A valiant effort against a good Illinois team, to be sure, but that doesn't change the fact that Northwestern firmly regressed in year two of the David Braun era. That's usually not a great sign for the direction of the coaching regime, but this was the first year of a much tougher Big Ten. Year three figures to be make-or-break for Braun.
16. Michigan State
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Rutgers, 41-14
PREVIOUS RANK: 15
MOVEMENT: -1
That's a tough pill to swallow at the end of the season for Michigan State, and the loss was truly more lopsided than the score indicates. I'll be fascinated to see what happens with the uber-talented yet inconsistent Aidan Chiles. Does the quarterback stick around in East Lansing after a 2,415-yard, 13-touchdown, 11 interception season?
17. Maryland Terrapins
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Penn State, 44-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 16
MOVEMENT: -1
Maryland closed the season with five straight multi-score losses. If that doesn't get Mike Locksley's seat at least uncomfortably warm, I'm not sure what will.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
WEEK 14 RESULT: Lost to Indiana, 66-0
PREVIOUS RANK: 18
MOVEMENT: N/A
This is the second time the Boilermakers let a team hang 66 points on them this season. Just incredible stuff from Purdue. With Ryan Walters fired, this program will get a fresh start, but just how desirable is this job? This is a capital R rebuild.
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_
*Like us on Facebook
