1. Wisconsin
The Badgers all but assured themselves a spot in the Rose Bowl with their 70-23 beatdown of Northwestern. After Illinois took to the ground to dispatch the Wildcats, the Badgers followed suit to the tune of 329 rushing yards (559 offensive yards total). Wisconsin had two players go over the 100-yard rushing mark, and five players scored touchdowns in a 70-23 victory over the Wildcats. Quarterback Scott Tolzien looked unperturbed by a Northwestern defense that didn’t offer much of a fight.
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes may not get back to the Rose Bowl, but they can take some solace in the shared Big Ten title. The Buckeyes have owned or shared Big Ten title the last six years. In their last game of the regular season, OSU manhandled Michigan, forcing three turnovers and giving up only seven points. QB Terrelle Pryor was unspectacular (270 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), but RB Dan Herron was. Herron ran for 175 yards on 22 carries to lead the Buckeyes into their break before bowl season. It remains to be seen who the Buckeyes will draw in the postseason, but OSU will surely look to build on last year’s victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
3. Michigan State
Week 12 was business as usual for the Spartans, who dispatched Penn State to claim a share of the Big Ten title. This is MSU’s first Big Ten title (shared or outright) since there was a four-way tie for the title in 1990. Against the Nittany Lions, Kirk Cousins (17/22, 152 yards, 2 TDs) was effective and teamed with Edwin Baker (28 carries, 118 yards and 1 TD) to lead the Spartans. Michigan State can savor its shared Big Ten title until it learns who their bowl game opponent will be.
4. Illinois
Illinois was idle this week after its win at Wrigley Field over Northwestern. It takes the fourth spot because it was the only team with four conference wins who didn’t lose this week. The Illini’s last game comes against Fresno State and gives them a chance to beat a quality non-conference opponent. RB Mikel Leshoure—who has amassed 471 yards on the ground in his last two games—will look to maintain his relative hot streak. One more win—especially a quality win—will bolster Illinois’ chance for a high-caliber bowl game.
5. Penn State
Joe Paterno’s 400th win, which came against Northwestern, was the high point for Penn State this season. Though the Nittany Lions will find themselves in a bowl game, it is a proverbial “roll of the dice” to see if they can get Paterno a win. Sophomore Matthew McGloin continued to show that he deserves a shot at the starting job come next season. Against MSU, McGloin threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns to keep Penn State in the game, but ultimately couldn’t pull the upset over the Spartans.
6. Iowa
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Hawkeyes spent a good portion of their season in the top 25, but three straight losses to Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota have left the Iowa faithful feeling a bit unsatisfied. A loss to a Minnesota team that spent most of its season well under .500 is a bitter pill for Iowa to swallow. The Hawkeyes are still bowl eligible, but one can only wonder what could’ve been for this Iowa team. Ricky Stanzi was nothing special in his last regular season game (10/22, 127 yards and 2 TDs), but hopefully he will pull out all the stops in his last bowl game for Iowa.
7. Michigan
The Wolverines fell prey to a series of streaks this season. A five-game winning streak opened the season, followed by a three-game losing streak to put them at 5-3. Michigan then beat Illinois and Purdue before falling to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Denard Robinson was lively against OSU (18 carries for 105 yards), but only stuck around for a half or so before leaving with an injury. Looking forward, the future is bright for Michigan under the leadership of Denard Robinson, who now has a year of starting experience under his belt.
8. Purdue
It has been a tough year for the Boilermakers. After quarterback Robert Marve went down with a torn ACL, Robert Henry was called on to replace him. The Boilermakers started the season 4-2, but six straight Big Ten losses have a funny way of derailing a season. Going into next season, Purdue will look to change the offense a bit to fit Marve’s abilities when he returns next season. Nevertheless, the Purdue faithful can now focus on basketball.
9. Minnesota
The 2010 season did not go as planned for the Golden Gophers. Although they won their first game, Minnesota lost their next nine games. Nevertheless, Minnesota’s fortunes changed in the last two weeks as they beat both Illinois and Iowa. Two close wins bode well for a Minnesota team that will return many of its offensive weapons, but the Gophers will need a new quarterback with the departure of Adam Weber. DeLeon Eskridge—21 carries and 95 yards—was a spark for the opportunistic Gophers as they upset the Hawkeyes. Duane Bennett scored the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter to finish off Iowa and the season.
10. Indiana
Indiana got off their Big Ten schneid with a win over Purdue. Saturday’s win broke a 12-game losing streak in conference for the Hoosiers. Though they are not bowl eligible, Indiana can look forward to beginning a potential win streak come next season. Ben Chappell threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in his final game, finishing with a career-high 24 touchdowns on the season. Three receivers for the Hoosiers had eight or more catches, with Terrance Turner leading the receiving corps with 10 catches for 100 yards.
11. Northwestern
After losing Dan Persa in its last win of the season over Iowa in Week 10, Northwestern seemed to just go through the motions against Illinois and Wisconsin. Northwestern took it on the chin against the Badgers and now have their work cut out for them going forward into the postseason. It remains to be seen who the ‘Cats will draw in bowl season, but rest assured a performance like the one against Wisconsin will not yield positive results.