Two Big Ten teams have all but locked themselves into the College Football Playoff while three other Big Ten teams still have a shot to earn their way in over the next two weeks.
Ohio State maintained its stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in every college football ranking as it continued its consistent dominance with a 48-10 win over UCLA in Week 12. Indiana maintained its position as a close second to the Buckeyes with a comfortable win over Wisconsin to become the first team with 11 wins in college football this season.
Oregon blew out Minnesota in Week 12 while USC came back to beat Iowa, setting up a high-stakes matchup between the Ducks and Trojans this upcoming Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS) that carries massive playoff implications, especially for USC. Michigan narrowly avoided playoff elimination at Wrigley Field, but squeaked by Northwestern on a last-second field goal to keep its hopes alive – hopes that hinge entirely on whether the Wolverines can beat Ohio State for the fifth year in a row.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Penn State finally earned its first win of conference play as it beat Michigan State, 28-10, in the battle for the Land Grant Trophy. Maryland fell to Illinois for its sixth straight loss while Purdue lost at Washington for its ninth straight defeat.
All of those results, along with each team’s results from the first 11 weeks of the season, were factored into our updated Big Ten Power Rankings with two weeks left to play in the regular season.
Playoff Locks
1. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0)
Wins: Texas (14-7), Grambling State (70-0), Ohio (37-9), at Washington (24-6), Minnesota (42-3), at Illinois (34-16), at Wisconsin (34-0), Penn State (38-14), at Purdue (34-10), UCLA (48-10)
Losses: None
Last Week: 1
CFP Rank: 1
Ohio State has now won nine straight games by at least 18 points, dominating its opponents with a level of consistency that no one else in college football has matched this season. Beating UCLA by 38 points even with Carnell Tate out and Jeremiah Smith missing most of the game further established the Buckeyes as the nation’s best team. Now with 10 wins this season, Ohio State can cement its spot in the College Football Playoff with a win over Rutgers this weekend.
2. Indiana (11-0, 8-0)
Wins: Old Dominion (27-14), Kennesaw State (56-9), Indiana State (73-0), Illinois (63-10), at Iowa (20-15), at Oregon (30-20), Michigan State (38-13), UCLA (56-6), Maryland (55-10), at Penn State (27-24), Wisconsin (31-7)
Losses: None
Last Week: 2
CFP Rank: 2
One week after surviving a scare at Penn State, Indiana got back to its dominant ways against Wisconsin. The first team to 11 wins in college football this season, the Hoosiers are the only team to rank in the top three nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense and are a victory over the Big Ten’s worst team away from their first-ever 12-0 regular season. They’ve already secured their spot in the CFP no matter what happens in the Old Oaken Bucket Game in two weeks.
Playoff Contenders
3. Oregon (9-1, 6-1)
Wins: Montana State (59-13), Oklahoma State (69-3), at Northwestern (34-14), Oregon State (41-7), at Penn State (30-24), at Rutgers (56-10), Wisconsin (21-7), at Iowa (18-16), Minnesota (42-13)
Losses: Indiana (30-20)
Last Week: 3
CFP Rank: 7
Oregon continued to look like a playoff team with its blowout win over Minnesota on Friday. A big test looms for the Ducks this weekend as they host USC; if they defend their home field and beat the Trojans to earn their 10th win of the season, they’ll be in great position to make the CFP entering their regular-season finale at Washington.
4. USC (8-2, 6-1)
Wins: Missouri State (73-13), Georgia Southern (59-20), at Purdue (33-17), Michigan State (45-31), Michigan (31-13), at Nebraska (21-17), Northwestern (38-17), Iowa (26-21)
Losses: at Illinois (34-32), at Notre Dame (34-24)
Last Week: 4
CFP Rank: 15
USC kept itself in playoff contention by coming back from a 21-7 deficit to defeat Iowa, but the real moment of truth comes this weekend. Having lost their two toughest road games of the year to date, the Trojans must beat Oregon in Eugene to make the CFP. If the Trojans can pull off the upset, they’ll have a great shot to make the 12-team field with a season-ending win over UCLA.
Clinging On for Dear Life
5. Michigan (8-2, 6-1)
Wins: New Mexico (34-17), Central Michigan (63-3), at Nebraska (30-27), Wisconsin (24-10), Washington (24-7), at Michigan State (31-20), Purdue (21-16), at Northwestern (24-22)
Losses: at Oklahoma (24-13), at USC (31-13)
Last Week: 5
CFP Rank: 18
The Wolverines haven’t looked like a top-five Big Ten team or anything close to a playoff team as they came dangerously close to losing to Northwestern after beating Purdue by just five in their previous game, but they earn the No. 5 spot in the Big Ten rankings by default since every team below has at least three losses in conference play.
Michigan can still make the CFP (and possibly even the Big Ten Championship Game) by winning its final two games of the regular season, as a win over Ohio State would be the résumé-booster it needs. With how the Wolverines have played in their last two games, though, losing to Michigan this year would be almost as hard for Buckeye fans to swallow as last year’s loss in Columbus.
Above Average
6. Illinois (7-3, 4-3)
Wins: Western Illinois (52-3), at Duke (45-19), Western Michigan (38-0), USC (34-32), Purdue (43-27), Rutgers (35-13), Maryland (24-6)
Losses: at Indiana (63-10), Ohio State (34-16), at Washington (42-25)
Last Week: 7
CFP Rank: 21
The Fighting Illini jump Iowa in this week’s rankings thanks to their win over USC after the Trojans beat the Hawkeyes last week. Their three lopsided losses knocked them out of College Football Playoff contention, but the Fighting Illini still have a great shot at a nine-win season as they’ll be favored in their final two games vs. Wisconsin and Northwestern.
7. Iowa (6-4, 4-3)
Wins: Albany (34-7), UMass (47-7), at Rutgers (38-28), at Wisconsin (37-0), Penn State (25-24), Minnesota (41-3)
Losses: at Iowa State (17-14), Indiana (20-15), Oregon (18-16), at USC (26-21)
Last Week: 6
The story of this year’s Iowa team is the same as it’s often been for Kirk Ferentz’s teams – good enough to play everyone tough, but not good enough to actually beat the best teams on their schedule. The Hawkeyes’ schedule didn’t do them any favors with having to play all of Indiana, Oregon and USC, and they played all three of those teams tough, but the fact remains that they’ve lost to each of the four best teams they’ve played this season.
8. Washington (7-3, 4-3)
Wins: Colorado State (38-21), UC Davis (70-10), at Washington State (59-24), at Maryland (24-20), Rutgers (38-19), Illinois (42-25), Purdue (49-13)
Losses: Ohio State (24-6), at Michigan (24-7), at Wisconsin (13-10)
Last Week: 10
Playing the lowest-ranked team in the Big Ten Power Rankings for the second week in a row, Washington had a much better performance against Purdue, bouncing back from its disastrous loss to Wisconsin with a 36-point win over the Boilermakers. The gap between the Huskies’ good play and bad play has been as big as any team in the Big Ten this season, but they’ve secured a winning season with two weeks to go and now have a ranked win on their résumé with Illinois’ climb back inside the College Football Playoff Top 25.
9. Nebraska (7-3, 4-3)
Wins: Cincinnati (20-17), Akron (68-0), Houston Christian (59-7), Michigan State (38-27), at Maryland (34-31), Northwestern (28-21), at UCLA (28-21)
Losses: Michigan (30-27), at Minnesota (24-6), USC (21-17)
Last Week: 8
Nebraska’s bye week did no favors to its résumé, as every team it’s beaten this season (plus a team it’s lost to, Minnesota) lost in Week 12. How they fare in their next two games against Penn State and Iowa – two teams that are beatable, but arguably better than anyone the Cornhuskers have beaten so far this year – will determine whether this season is a step in the right direction for Matt Rhule’s program or another season of disappointment.
Below Average
10. Minnesota (6-4, 4-3)
Wins: Buffalo (23-10), Northwestern State (66-0), Rutgers (31-28), Purdue (27-20), Nebraska (24-6), Michigan State (23-20)
Losses: at California (27-14), at Ohio State (42-3), at Iowa (41-3), at Oregon (42-13)
Last Week: 9
Minnesota fell to 0-4 on the road this season with another blowout loss away from home at Oregon. The Golden Gophers need just one win in their final two games against Northwestern and Wisconsin to finish the season with a winning record, but outside of their convincing win over Nebraska, they’ve built their conference record with wins over bad teams that were closer than they should have been.
11. Northwestern (5-5, 3-4)
Wins: Western Illinois (42-7), UCLA (17-14), UL Monroe (42-3), at Penn State (22-21), Purdue (19-0)
Losses: at Tulane (23-3), Oregon (34-14), at Nebraska (28-21), at USC (38-17), Michigan (24-22)
Last Week: 11
Forcing five turnovers gave Northwestern a shot to eliminate Michigan from the playoff and earn bowl eligibility in one fell swoop, but allowing the Wolverines to drive for a last-second field goal dropped the Wildcats to .500 with their third straight loss. Despite being 5-2 after seven games, David Braun’s squad remains in jeopardy of missing a bowl game, as its final two opponents – Minnesota and Illinois – are both better than anyone it’s beaten this year, though getting Minnesota at home this week should help.
12. Rutgers (5-5, 2-5)
Wins: Ohio (34-31), Miami-Ohio (45-17), Norfolk State (60-10), at Purdue (27-24), Maryland (35-20)
Losses: Iowa (38-28), at Minnesota (31-28), at Washington (38-19), Oregon (56-10), at Illinois (35-13)
Last Week: 12
Like Northwestern, Rutgers enters its final two games needing a win over a better team than it’s beaten all year – Ohio State or Penn State – to earn bowl eligibility. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 12th because the other six teams in the Big Ten are all below .500 for the season, but their worst run defense in the nation will make winning another game this season tough.
Big Ten Bottom-Feeders
13. UCLA (3-7, 3-4)
Wins: Penn State (42-37), at Michigan State (38-13), Maryland (20-17)
Losses: Utah (43-10), at UNLV (30-23), New Mexico (35-10), at Northwestern (17-14), at Indiana (56-6), Nebraska (28-21), at Ohio State (48-10)
Last Week: 13
The magic of UCLA’s three-game midseason winning streak – one that was aided significantly by the Bruins playing three of the Big Ten’s worst teams in that stretch – is long gone. Saturday’s 48-10 loss to Ohio State was UCLA’s second blowout loss in three weeks and third loss in a row, eliminating the Bruins from bowl eligibility in the process. Their October bounceback from a disastrous September saved their season from being a total embarrassment, but they’re likely destined for a 3-9 season with Washington and USC rounding out the schedule.
14. Penn State (4-6, 1-6)
Wins: Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0), Villanova (52-6), at Michigan State (28-10)
Losses: Oregon (30-24), at UCLA (42-37), Northwestern (22-21), at Iowa (25-24), at Ohio State (38-14), Indiana (27-24)
Last Week: 16
With three weeks to go in the season, Penn State finally earned its first win over a Power 4 opponent as it pulled away from Michigan State with two late touchdowns for a 28-10 win. One win over a team that’s winless in Big Ten play doesn’t make up for the six-game losing streak that derailed Penn State’s championship hopes and cost James Franklin his job, but the Nittany Lions could salvage a little pride by beating Nebraska and Rutgers to earn bowl eligibility.
15. Maryland (4-6, 1-6)
Wins: FAU (39-7), Northern Illinois (20-9), Towson (44-17), at Wisconsin (27-10)
Losses: Washington (24-20), Nebraska (34-31), at UCLA (20-17), Indiana (55-10), at Rutgers (35-20), at Illinois (24-6)
Last Week: 14
Maryland fell to 0-6 since September as it failed to score a single touchdown against an Illinois defense that’s allowed an average of four touchdowns per game in Big Ten play. Maryland announced earlier this week that Mike Locksley will be back in 2026 despite the Terrapins’ six-game losing streak, but yet another season where his team completely fell apart after the opening month was the last thing he needed to build long-term confidence in his program.
16. Wisconsin (3-7, 1-6)
Wins: Miami-Ohio (17-0), Middle Tennessee State (42-10), Washington (13-10)
Losses: at Alabama (38-14), Maryland (27-10), at Michigan (24-10), Iowa (37-0), Ohio State (34-0), at Oregon (21-7), at Indiana (31-7)
Last Week: 15
Wisconsin kept things competitive with Indiana for a half, but its second-worst-in-the-nation offense ultimately spelled its demise as the Hoosiers outscored the Badgers 21-0 in the second half. Beating Washington two weekends ago saved Wisconsin from a winless season in Big Ten play, but it’s going to need to find a way to score more points if it’s going to win one of its last two games against Minnesota or Illinois.
17. Michigan State (3-7, 0-7)
Wins: Western Michigan (23-6), Boston College (42-40), Youngstown State (41-24)
Losses: at USC (45-31), at Nebraska (38-27), UCLA (38-13), at Indiana (38-13), Michigan (31-20), at Minnesota (23-20), Penn State (28-10)
Last Week: 17
It’s becoming harder and harder to see things working out for Jonathan Smith, who officially has zero Big Ten wins as Michigan State’s head coach after the Spartans vacated their wins from the 2024 season last week. Now 0-7 in Big Ten play with six losses by double digits, Michigan State has fallen from a program that was a perennial conference championship contender a decade ago to a laughingstock.
18. Purdue (2-9, 0-9)
Wins: Ball State (31-0), Southern Illinois (34-17)
Losses: at USC (33-17), at Notre Dame (56-30), Illinois (43-27), at Minnesota (27-20), at Northwestern (19-0), Rutgers (27-24), at Michigan (21-16), at Ohio State (34-10), at Washington (49-13)
Last Week: 18
A 36-point loss to the same Washington team that lost to Wisconsin one week earlier was confirmation that Purdue is the Big Ten’s worst team for the second year in a row. Barring a miracle against Indiana in two weeks, Purdue will go winless in Big Ten play for the second consecutive season, finishing its year with 10 straight losses.
