1. Wisconsin
What a week to be a Badger! A tight three-way race for the Big Ten title with Michigan State and Ohio State leaves little room for error, and Wisconsin did not trip up Saturday against Indiana. Playing without standout running back John Clay, the Badgers racked up 83 points on nearly 600 offensive yards. With senior quarterback Scott Tolzien on point and running backs Montee Ball and James White backing up Clay, the Badgers have the most balanced and explosive offense in the conference alongside a relatively light schedule in the homestretch. The Big Ten is theirs to lose.
2. Ohio State
After Penn State’s dominating second-half comeback win against the Wildcats in Week 10, there seemed to be a certain amount of sense to putting the Buckeyes on upset alert Saturday, but Ohio State didn’t let that come to pass. After a strong Penn State first half, the Buckeyes defense won the game in the second half with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The Buckeyes ability to create turnovers makes them the conference’s most dangerous team, but the shaky first half (and Wisconsin’s 83 points) keeps them out of the top spot — for now, at least.
3. Michigan State
Sparty’s bye week saw one of its main competitors for the Big Ten title fall off the chase in Evanston, but a second big upset in Columbus didn’t work in Michigan State’s favor. Next week’s matchup against Purdue should be an easy win for Michigan State, but the final game at Penn State promises to be a tougher challenge. Still, it looks like the Spartans have the ability to run the table and should find themselves in a BCS bowl come January.
4. Michigan
While sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson looked remarkably human Saturday with four turnovers against Purdue, Michigan finally proved they could put a defense on the field. The Wolverines held the Boilermakers to 16 points on 256 yards and forced five turnovers, their best defensive effort this season. If the Wolverines can find a way to execute consistently on both sides of the ball, they’re going to become a force to be reckoned with.
5. Iowa
They played three quarters of bad football Saturday, but their one quarter of solid play was nearly enough to win them the game. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but a Ricky Stanzi mistake and an exhausted defense brought them down against the Wildcats (once again). With this loss the Hawkeyes were exposed for what they really are: a team that’s good at everything but, beyond defensive end Adrian Clayborn, great at nothing.
6. Penn State
JoePa’s Nittany Lions pulled their best Wildcat impressions against Ohio State, going up 14-3 at the half then squandering their lead. You expected a little more fight out of Penn State after being marked as 20-point underdogs going into the game, but they were simply outclassed by a very good Buckeye team.
7. Northwestern
How bittersweet was that upset win over Iowa? Well, had we not lost Dan Persa for the year on his game-winning pass, the ‘Cats would be up at fourth in these rankings. As it stands, the unknown factor of Evan Watkins and the looming matchup at Wisconsin with their Big Ten title hopes on the line keep the ‘Cats nearer to the bottom than the top, but a solid debut from the freshman at Wrigley Field could change that in a hurry.
8. Illinois
The Illini’s last-second loss at home against Minnesota Saturday was a real killer. Not only was Minnesota likely to go winless in Big Ten play otherwise, but now Illinois will have to beat either Northwestern or Fresno State on the road to win bowl-eligibility. This was not a game Illinois could afford to lose.
9. Purdue
The Boilermakers kept it close against Michigan, but the loss keeps them near the cellar. Injuries have made this a season to forget for Purdue, but with a match-up next Saturday against Michigan State they have a real chance to play spoiler in the Big Ten. Any chance of conquering Sparty, however, will rest on the shoulders of Northwestern-killer Rob Henry figuring out his position; Henry split time between running back and quarterback last week after lining up under center for most of the season.
10. Minnesota
They snapped a nine-game losing streak by beating Illinois in Champaign, pulling themselves out of the last spot and giving Gophers fans a modicum of self-respect. The win, however, was on the strength of senior quarterback Adam Weber’s arm and junior running back DeLeon Eskridge’s feet; since neither upperclassman promises to be around for very long and the road back to relevance for Minnesota promises to be a long one, Saturday’s victory says little about the school’s long term prospects.
11. Indiana
Eighty-three points allowed? Eighty-three points allowed. OK, there’s more to it than that. Indiana Coach Bill Lynch’s job security was already low, but the embarrassing nature of the loss to Wisconsin (in particular, the 24 points scored in the fourth quarter by the Badger reserves) has made his situation untenable. Nothing less than a dominating sweep of their final two games (home vs. Penn State and at Purdue) and a surprise bowl victory will save his job, if he makes it ’til Saturday.