Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 11

There were a bunch of memorable games in the Big Ten in Week 11. Iowa was able to scrape by Minnesota in a rivalry game. And Michigan, oh Michigan, was able to somehow pull out a win over Indiana in Bloomington. So, despite the drama, the two favorites won, setting up what could be an amazing Week 12.

It all starts with Ohio State hosting Michigan State. The Spartans have a chance to really shake up the national title hunt with a win. Michigan travels to Penn State, where the Nittany Lions are always a little friskier. Wisconsin and Northwestern will battle in Madison for second place in the Big Ten West and for bowl seeding. With six of the seven teams in the Big Ten's top half squaring off against each other, Saturday projects to be another exciting slate of games.

With that, here is how our staff sees the Big Ten teams stacking up after Week 11:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes RECORD: 10-0 (6-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 1 Ten wins. Zero losses. But games against Michigan State and Michigan to finish the season could put an end to the Buckeyes' undefeated season. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 Iowa Hawkeyes RECORD: 10-0 (6-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 2 Iowa still isn't getting the national respect it probably deserves. But the Hawkeyes just need to keep winning until the Big Ten championship game. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 2.375

3 Michigan State Spartans RECORD: 9-1 (5-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 3 Connor Cook's shoulder injury is a cause for concern in East Lansing. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 3 3

4 Michigan Wolverines RECORD: 8-2 (5-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 4 Another gem from Jim Harbaugh: "I'm like Abraham. I'm going to die leaning on my staff." (h/t Jake Lourim, Michigan Daily) Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 3.625

5 Wisconsin Badgers RECORD: 8-2 (5-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 5 The Badgers' two losses on the season: Alabama and Iowa... not too shabby. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

6 Northwestern Wildcats RECORD: 8-2 (4-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 6 Another game in which Northwestern seemed to play fairly poorly overall leads to yet another win for the Wildcats. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6.125

7 Penn State Nittany Lions RECORD: 7-3 (4-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 7 Like Ohio State, Penn State finishes with the two Michigan schools, but something tells us the Nittany Lions could have a tougher time facing the gauntlet. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 6 7 7 7 7 8 7 8 7.125

8 Nebraska Cornhuskers RECORD: 5-6 (3-4)  ||  LAST WEEK: 8 Nebraska's off this week before a huge rivalry game against Iowa. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 8 8 8 8 8 7 8 7 7.75

9 Minnesota Golden Gophers RECORD: 4-6 (1-5) ||  LAST WEEK: 10 Minnesota hung with the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 10 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9.375

10 Illinois Fighting Illini RECORD: 5-5 (2-4)  ||  LAST WEEK: 9 Despite losing both its head football coach and athletic director, Illinois has a really good shot to become bowl eligible with games against Minnesota and Northwestern left on the schedule. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 10.375

11 Indiana Hoosiers RECORD: 4-6 (0-6)  ||  LAST WEEK: 11 That Indiana-Michigan game was one of the most fun games of the year. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 9 9 12 11 12 11 11 10 10.625

12 Purdue Boilermakers RECORD: 2-8 (1-5)  ||  LAST WEEK: 12 The Boilermakers had a shot to beat Northwestern in Evanston, but, obviously, they ended up losing. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 12 12 11 12 11 12 12 11 11.625

13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights RECORD: 3-7 (1-6) ||  LAST WEEK: 13 Even three Tommy Armstrong interceptions couldn't help Rutgers avoid a 17-point loss to Nebraska. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 13 14 13 14 14 13 13 13 13.375

14 Maryland Terrapins  RECORD: 2-8 (0-6)  ||  LAST WEEK: 14 Mark your calendars... Maryland. Rutgers. Nov. 28. 11 a.m. BTN. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Martin Oppegaard Lyndsey Armacost Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 14 13 14 13 13 14 14 14 13.625