Northwestern rises to No. 17 in Week 13 AP Poll

Northwestern has risen to No. 17 in the Week 13 AP Poll, jumping ahead of three teams following a 13-7 road win at previously-No. 21 Wisconsin.

The Wildcats' win in Madison propelled them above Utah, LSU and Houston, all of whom lost in Week 12. Utah lost at home to UCLA. LSU fell on the road at Ole Miss. Houston, previously undefeated, was upset by unranked Connecticut.

The Wildcats took advantage of five Badger turnovers Saturday, and were perhaps fortunate to come away from the game victorious, although the controversial calls in the game's second half were probably correct. The relatively unconvincing nature of the win might explain why NU did not rise higher.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Ohio State (8) tumbled out of the top two after losing to Michigan State as a 14.5-point favorite at home. The Spartans (6) vaulted into the top 10 on the back of their come-from-behind win in Columbus.

Iowa (3) is now the highest ranked Big Ten team by virtue of Ohio State's loss and the Hawkeyes' win over Purdue. Michigan rose to No. 12 after beating Penn State on the road. Wisconsin fell out of the rankings with the loss to NU.

Here is the middle portion of the rankings: