Big Ten Top Ten: Conference's football teams ranked ahead of Week 12 action
It's Week 12 of college football and another week of my award-winning, high-brow rankings. The ranked Big Ten teams handled business, but the bottom half of my list decided to make me look bad in Week 11. I'm looking at you, Iowa and Minnesota.
Let's break down the new top ten.
No. 1 - Oregon (10-0, 7-0)
Last Week: vs Maryland W 39-18
Next Week: @ Wisconsin
It was business as usual for Oregon. After taking down Ohio State last month, the Ducks have cruised through the back of their schedule en route to the playoffs. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is firmly in the running for the Heisman Trophy and has a pair of easy games against Wisconsin and Washington to strengthen his case.
No. 2 - Ohio State (8-1, 5-1)
LW: vs Purdue W 45-0
NW: @ Northwestern
The Buckeyes do what the Buckeyes do. This was always an easy win for now No. 2 Ohio State, but it made Purdue look like a high school team. Quarterback Will Howard looked great in the win, and the Buckeyes defense held the Boilermakers to just 206 total yards on the day. Ohio State has another warm-up game against Northwestern before taking on Indiana at home.
No. 3 - Penn State (8-1, 5-1)
LW: vs Washington W 35-6
NW: @ Purdue
It was a great bounce-back win for Penn State after a crushing loss to the Buckeyes last week. Quarterback Drew Allar had a great game after a lackluster week prior, and tight end Tyler Warren has been playing phenomenally this season. Warren had eight catches for 75 yards on Saturday and is undoubtedly the best offensive weapon the team has. The Nittany Lions skated past Washington and now have a couple of cupcakes in Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland to end the season.
No. 4 - Indiana (10-0, 7-0)
LW: vs Michigan W 20-15
NW: BYE
This week showed me that as dominant as the Hoosiers have been this season, I have the right to be skeptical of how they'll perform against stiffer competition. Michigan was No. 5 Indiana's toughest opponent this season, and they almost choked away a 17-3 lead at the half. The Wolverines' defense stepped up in the second half and jump-started the 12-point Michigan surge that had Hoosier fans sweating late in the game. Indiana has a week to rest up before its record gets put to the test in Columbus, Ohio.
No. 5 - Illinois (6-3, 3-3)
LW: BYE
NW: vs Michigan State
Illinois entered the bye on a brutal two-game skid to knock them out of the top 25. For now, I'll be putting the team on fraud watch, and I'll especially be looking closely when the Fighting Illini make their way to Piscataway, New Jersey, in two weeks. Illinois should be all rested up to win out in its final three games.
No. 6 - Michigan (5-5, 3-4)
LW: @ Indiana L 20-15
NW: vs Northwestern
Despite the loss, Michigan played a pretty solid game, all things considered. The Wolverines took the eighth-best team in the country down to the wire and held them to just 20 points. If the defense can continue to build on that second half from last weekend, they might be able to make things interesting when Michigan plays Ohio State at the end of the month.
After this point, the last four teams will most likely fluctuate week to week. These teams can all beat each other on any given Saturday. The teams below were ranked by a combination of head-to-head record, strength of schedule and overall record.
No. 7 - UCLA (4-5, 3-4)
LW: vs Iowa W 20-17
NW: @ Washington
In terms of recent success, UCLA has been the hottest. The offense has looked functional since its win on the Banks a couple of weeks ago, and the defense has held its last two opponents to 20 points or less. The Bruins are on a three-game win streak and clawing their way to a bowl game.
No. 8 - Minnesota (6-3, 4-3)
LW: @ Rutgers L 26-19
NW: BYE
You know, I stuck my neck out by placing the Golden Gophers at number seven last week, and they suffered an unexplainable loss to the Scarlet Knights on the Banks. Any Rutgers fan is well aware of the state of the defense, so it was a shock when Minnesota was held to just 19 points. The Golden Gophers late-season surge was sliced short by the Knights, and matchups against No. 4 Penn State and Wisconsin won't make another regular season win any easier.
No. 9 - Iowa (6-4, 4-3)
LW: @ UCLA L 20-17
NW: BYE
Similar to Minnesota, the lights got too bright for Iowa after I placed them eighth on my rankings last week. The Hawkeyes were able to tie things up in the fourth, largely thanks to the legs of Kaleb Johnson, but let up a late field goal before the Bruins forced a three-and-out to seal the game. Iowa gets some rest before finishing the season with games against Maryland and Nebraska.
No. 10 - Rutgers (5-4, 2-4)
LW: vs Minnesota W 26-19
NW: @ Maryland
Clap it up for Rutgers sneaking its way back onto the list. Believe me, I didn't see this coming either, but the Knights played a heck of a game against the Golden Gophers. The offense continued its upward trajectory behind senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis despite senior running back Kyle Monangai missing in action due to injury. What decided the game was the defense, which stepped up in a way I didn't think was possible for this unit. The Rutgers defense recorded four sacks, eight tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a safety in the win. The Knights now set their sights on one final win to reach a bowl game, their remaining schedule being Maryland, Illinois and Michigan State.
For more updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Philip Jaccoma's work, follow @PJaccoma on X.
