It's crunch time in Big Ten Football following a massive Week 11, with just two weeks to go in the regular season. Who's on the rise at the right time? Who's packing it in? Here's our Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 11.
14. Maryland Terrapins (2-8, 0-6)
Five more turnovers against Michigan State. A mind-boggling 35 on the year. Not exactly a good face while the team begins scouting Randy Edsall's potential permanent replacement.
13. Purdue Boilermakers (2-8, 1-5)
We give Purdue credit. They sure have kept the effort level up during what has been the epitome of a lost season. After a solid showing against Northwestern, there's just a tinge of light peeking through the clouds.
12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-7, 1-5)
Ugh. Rutgers' loss to Nebraska salts away just their second losing season in 11 seasons. Things are so bad in Jersey that Scarlet Knights fans booed head coach Kyle Flood's PSA for designated driving on the big screen during the 31-14 defeat.
11. Indiana Hoosiers (4-6, 0-6)
Someone in football heaven hates the Hoosiers. Indiana almost pulled off the home upset of Michigan, making yet another heartbreaking loss to one of the Big Ten's current power teams. No moral victories here, double OT or not yesterday.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-6, 1-5)
Minnesota played Iowa extremely tough, but they once again fell short in a five-point loss to Iowa on Saturday. Minnesota needs season-closing wins over Illinois and Wisconsin to salvage an emotional 2015 campaign.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-5, 2-4)
The team's struggles running the ball have defined their season. The Illini were completely manhandled in the trenches in a 28-3 loss to Ohio State. If Bill Cubit wants to take over as permanent head coach, he'll likely need to get one of the team's final two against Minnesota and Northwestern.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-6, 3-4)
Kudos to Nebraska for buckling down in back-to-back wins over Michigan State and Rutgers. There's an outside chance they can make a bowl if they lose to Iowa Thanksgiving week, but it'd be a watershed moment during a frustrating year for them to topple the undefeated Hawkeyes and force their way into the bowl picture.
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-3, 4-2)
Relaxing on their bye, Penn State stays static of one of the easiest-to-peg teams in the nation. They beat the teams they're supposed to and lose to the ones they're not, without variance. The definition of a lower-to-mid tier bowl team.
6. Northwestern Wildcats (8-2, 4-2)
Northwestern's 21-14 win over Purdue on Senior Day keeps their hopes of a double-digit win regular season and top-level bowl alive. It'll be tough though, with both of their remaining games coming on the road (Wisconsin, Illinois).
5. Wisconsin Badgers (8-2, 5-1)
Next week's game against Northwestern will serve as a measuring stick. They haven't beaten a Big Ten team with a winning record as of yet. If they want to strengthen their faint New Year's Six bowl hopes, next Saturday is the day.
4. Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 5-1)
MSU's 24-7 win over Maryland wasn't the story coming out of Saturday. It was QB Connor Cook's shoulder injury. He'll be banged up if he's able to go in Columbus next week, and that's going to be a heck of a disadvantage against undefeated Ohio State.
3. Michigan Wolverines (8-2, 5-1)
Michigan maintains the #3 spot over Michigan State by a fraction of a fraction of a point. They won ugly against Indiana, but they're still in fair shape to make the Big Ten title game if MSU loses to OSU next week.
2. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-0, 6-0)
Iowa is 10-0 for the first time in program history, and they are starting to show some major life on offense with 31 points or more in each of their past four games. Iowa is a virtual lock to make the Big Ten title game, especially with lowly Purdue coming up next week.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0)
Here comes the real tests. Ohio State has taken care of business with limited style points as of late, but they will salt away a CFP berth if they can down Michigan State and Michigan in succession to end the regular season.
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