Big Ten Power Rankings: Michigan, Ohio State to decide top spot in Week 13

The Big Ten came face to face with its doomsday scenario Saturday, as No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan both flirted with defeats a week before their season-ending showdown in Columbus. 

And while one of those teams would likely reach the College Football Playoff anyway as the presumptive conference champion — sorry, Big Ten West — slipups against Maryland and Illinois, respectively, in Week 12 might have undermined the league’s credibility in the eyes of the selection committee.

Instead, a freshman running back saved the Buckeyes and an All-American kicker bailed out the Wolverines to ensure the archrivals will be undefeated when they clash at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

Here are the Big Ten power rankings ahead of Week 13:

1. Ohio State

Record: 11-0, 8-0 Big Ten 
Last week: 43-30 win at Maryland
Up next: vs. No. 3 Michigan
Previous ranking: 2

The Buckeyes bounced back from an eyebrow-raising performance against Northwestern earlier this month, notching consecutive wins over Indiana and Maryland featuring 1,063 combined yards and 99 total points. The scary part is there were stretches in both games when the offense struggled. Ohio State scored 10 points in the first half against the Terrapins before exploding for 17 points in the third quarter and 16 points in the fourth, capped by a defensive score with nine seconds remaining after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa fumbled near the goal line. 

Tailback TreVeyon Henderson (foot) returned to the starting lineup but failed to finish the game after aggravating the injury. He sported a walking boot on the sideline during the second half. But skill players seem to grow on trees at Ohio State, and freshman tailback Dallan Hayden rose to the occasion with 27 carries for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the absence of Miyan Williams. On a day when quarterback C.J. Stroud only accounted for one score, the running game propelled the Buckeyes to victory in the second half and pushed them to the top of this week’s power rankings.

2. Michigan

Record: 11-0, 8-0 Big Ten
Last week: 19-17 win over Illinois
Up next: at No. 2 Ohio State
Previous ranking: 1

There’s a good chance Michigan’s prospects for upsetting Ohio State hinge on the status of star running back Blake Corum, who exited the win over Illinois with an apparent left knee injury that severely handcuffed the offense. An entire stadium held its collective breath when Corum, who topped 100 yards for the eighth consecutive game, absorbed a low tackle along the sideline and immediately reached for his knee. He remained on the turf while receiving attention from the medical staff and then limped to the locker room under his own power. Shockingly, Corum was cleared to return for the second half, but removed himself from the game due to lingering discomfort, according to head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Without him, the inconsistent passing attack led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy was exposed until the Wolverines orchestrated a last-ditch, game-saving drive to set up the winning field goal with nine seconds remaining. It’s hard to see Michigan hanging with Ohio State on the road if Corum’s movement is compromised by the ailing knee. His primary backup, former five-star recruit Donovan Edwards, missed the win over Illinois with an injury.

3. Penn State

Record: 9-2, 6-2 Big Ten
Last week: 55-10 win at Rutgers
Up next: vs. Michigan State
Previous ranking: 3 

Week in and week out, Penn State proves it’s a class above everyone in the Big Ten not named Ohio State or Michigan. The Nittany Lions have won three consecutive games over Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers by 106 combined points after Saturday’s 55-10 thrashing of the Scarlet Knights. The defense entered the weekend ranked 16th nationally in scoring at 19 points per game and improved that mark with another stellar effort.

Rutgers manufactured just 167 yards of total offense, including a measly 32 yards on the ground, where Penn State held its opponent to 0.9 yards per carry. The running back tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen — both freshmen — combined for 179 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Singleton also scored on a 100-yard kickoff return midway through the first quarter after Rutgers took an early 3-0 lead. A victory over Michigan State in the finale would give head coach James Franklin his first 10-win season since the Nittany Lions finished 11-2 in 2019.

4. Iowa

Record: 7-4, 5-3 Big Ten
Last week: 13-10 win at Minnesota
Up next: vs. Nebraska
Previous ranking: 5

The stunning turnaround for head coach Kirk Ferentz & Co. continued with a gritty 13-10 win at Minnesota in frigid conditions with negative windchills. A 21-yard field goal from kicker Drew Stevens with 28 seconds remaining broke a deadlock from the middle of the third quarter and gave the Hawkeyes their fourth consecutive win. 

In typical Iowa fashion, Ferentz’s team won the turnover battle 2-0 (one interception, one fumble lost by the Gophers) to leave Minneapolis with a victory despite being outgained by 119 yards. Quarterback Spencer Petras played one of his better games of the season by completing 15 of 24 passes for 221 yards and zero interceptions. His rushing touchdown late in the first quarter gave the Hawkeyes a 10-0 lead to start the game. The combination of an Iowa win and an Illinois loss on Saturday means the Hawkeyes control their own destiny in the Big Ten West. All Ferentz needs is a win over Nebraska to reach the title game for the second consecutive season.

5. Purdue

Record: 7-4, 5-3 Big Ten
Last week: 17-9 win vs. Northwestern
Up next: at Indiana
Previous ranking: 4

Consecutive losses to Wisconsin and Iowa threatened the Boilermakers as the calendar changed from October to November, but they’ve responded with back-to-back wins over then-No. 21 Illinois and Northwestern to ensure the arrow points up. A balanced performance, with 159 yards through the air and 140 on the ground, was more than enough to put away a Northwestern team that lost its 10th consecutive game. Wideout Charlie Jones, who transferred to Purdue from Iowa, caught his 11th touchdown pass to equal Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. atop the conference. Jones already became the league’s first 1,000-yard receiver last week. Still, it’s difficult to know how good the Boilermakers really are given the friendly nature of their schedule, which includes neither Michigan nor Ohio State this season. Only two of their five Big Ten victories have come against teams who are above .500 in conference play entering Week 13.

6. Illinois

Record: 7-4, 4-4 Big Ten
Last week: 19-17 loss at No. 3 Michigan
Up next: at Northwestern
Previous ranking: 6

Despite losing its third consecutive game, Illinois remains sixth in the power rankings given how well it played to push Michigan to the brink in Ann Arbor. Head coach Bret Bielema, who was critical of the officiating during halftime and postgame interviews, watched his team score 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to erase a seven-point deficit and surge in front, 17-10, with a little more than 16 minutes remaining. Tailback Chase Brown played an exceptional game despite entering with a leg injury that limited his practice time during the week. Brown rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries against a defense that only surrendered 72.3 rushing yards per game prior to Saturday. But the Illini failed to score on all three possessions in the fourth quarter, as a season-defining upset slipped through their fingers. Bielema’s team has slipped to 7-4 after beginning the season 7-1 but proved it has the toughness and grit to compete with one of the best teams in the league. Had the Illini held on, they could have advanced to the Big Ten title game with a win in the regular season finale. Instead, control of the Big Ten West belongs to Iowa.

7. Minnesota

Record: 7-4, 4-4 Big Ten
Last week: 13-10 loss vs. Iowa
Up next: at Wisconsin
Previous ranking: 7

It’s fair to wonder what this Minnesota team could have accomplished in 2022 had starting quarterback Tanner Morgan stayed healthy. A sixth-year senior, Morgan accounted for nine touchdowns and only one interception through the first four games — all wins — before an unsightly showing against Purdue gave way to a series of injuries. Without him, the Gophers’ only source of offense has been star tailback Mohamed Ibrahim, who carried 39 times for 263 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Iowa. The one-dimensional offense generated just 87 passing yards from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who has failed to top 100 yards in each of the last two games and lost the turnover battle 2-0 (one interception, one fumble). Minnesota erased an early 10-0 deficit to tie the game midway through the third quarter but went scoreless over the final 23 minutes to lose for the first time in a month.

8. Wisconsin

Record: 6-5, 4-4 Big Ten
Last week: 15-14 win at Nebraska
Up next: vs. Minnesota
Previous ranking: 8

Wisconsin trailed 14-3 to start the fourth quarter against Nebraska but rallied with two touchdowns in the span of 10 minutes to escape Memorial Stadium with a victory. Quarterback Graham Mertz plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard sneak with 35 seconds remaining for what proved to be the winning score, pushing the Badgers over .500 for the season. The one-two punch of tailbacks Chez Mellusi (21 carries for 98 yards) and Braelon Allen (18 carries for 92 yards) paced the offense, while Mertz completed fewer than 50% of his passes and threw for just 83 yards, crossing out his lone touchdown pass with an interception. Wisconsin converted eight of 15 times on third down to finish with a 13-minute edge in time of possession and outgain the Cornhuskers 318-171 in total offense. Interim head coach Jim Leonhard is 4-2 since taking over for Paul Chryst.

9. Maryland

Record: 6-5, 3-5 Big Ten
Last week: 43-30 loss vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Up next: vs. Rutgers
Previous ranking: 10

The final score belied a nip-and-tuck affair between the Buckeyes and Terrapins, a one-possession game until a late defensive score by Ohio State with nine seconds remaining. A 1-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to wideout Jeshaun Jones trimmed the Buckeyes’ lead to 33-30 with 9:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Maryland went three-and-out on its next drive as momentum shifted to the visitors. Tagovailoa played a brilliant game by completing 26 of 36 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns, with an additional score on the ground. Six different receivers finished with at least 30 yards in a balanced offensive display that outgained Ohio State, 402-401, in total offense. A brutal three-game stretch at Wisconsin, at Penn State and home against the Buckeyes produced three losses, changing the tenor of Maryland’s season following a 6-2 start. Tagovailoa exited with an injury in the final seconds, and it’s unclear if he’ll be available for next week’s finale.

10. Michigan State

Record: 5-6, 3-5 Big Ten
Last week: 39-31 double-overtime loss vs. Indiana
Up next: at No. 11 Penn State
Previous ranking: 9

A stretch of three wins in four games came to a screeching halt with a disillusioning home loss to Indiana, which hadn’t won since Sept. 17. The Spartans built a commanding 24-7 halftime lead with three second-quarter touchdowns that sliced through a porous Hoosiers’ defense. Scoring drives of 73 yards (field goal), 64 yards (touchdown), 69 yards (touchdown) and 34 yards (touchdown) laid the foundation for what should have been a blowout win. But Michigan State was outscored 32-7 in the second half and overtime combined, suffering an embarrassing defeat to a hapless opponent. Huge disparities in total yards (540-288), passing yards (298-31), third-down efficiency (50% to 25%) and time of possession (37 minutes to 23 minutes) all favored head coach Mel Tucker’s team in one of the more confounding games of the Big Ten season. The Spartans were sunk when they failed to score in either overtime session: a blocked field goal in the first and a turnover on downs in the second.

11. Indiana

Record: 4-7, 2-6 Big Ten
Last week: 39-31 double-overtime win at Michigan State
Up next: vs. Purdue
Previous ranking: 14

Few people could have predicted the seismic turnaround in East Lansing on Saturday when an Indiana team riding a seven-game losing streak erased a three-score deficit to beat Michigan State. Without a reliable passing game, head coach Tom Allen embraced an overwhelmingly run-heavy approach that produced 257 yards and four touchdowns on 44 attempts. Tailback Shaun Shivers, a transfer from Auburn, led the way with 13 carries for 115 yards and two scores, including the winner in double overtime. The Hoosiers snapped their lengthy losing streak despite being outgained by more than 250 yards and only completing two passes the entire game. An 88-yard kickoff return touchdown by Jaylin Lucas helped offset the team’s glaring aerial deficiency.

12. Nebraska

Record: 3-8, 2-6 Big Ten
Last week: 15-14 loss vs. Wisconsin
Up next: at Iowa
Previous ranking: 12

Nebraska dropped its fifth consecutive game by blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter at home. The return of starting quarterback Casey Thompson from injury provided an early boost for an offense that trudged through losses to Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan with 25 combined points. Thompson completed 12 of 20 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns as the Cornhuskers built a 14-3 lead late in the third quarter. But the offense failed to score in the final stanza as Wisconsin mounted two touchdown drives to snare the win. Interim head coach Mickey Joseph is now 2-5 since taking over for Scott Frost on Sept. 11.

13. Rutgers

Record: 4-7, 1-7 Big Ten
Last week: 55-10 loss vs. Penn State
Up next: at Maryland
Previous ranking: 11

A blowout loss to Penn State was Rutgers’ seventh defeat in the last eight games after beginning the year 3-0. An early 10-7 lead for the Scarlet Knights gave way to an avalanche of 48 unanswered points for the Nittany Lions, including 41 in the span of 31 minutes. Rutgers was massacred in total yards (436-167) and rushing yards (237-32) with a minus-2 deficiency in turnover margin. Starting quarterback Gavin Wimsatt was pulled after completing just 10 of 29 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Life in the Big Ten East is rough.

14. Northwestern

Record: 1-10, 1-7 Big Ten
Last week: 17-9 loss at Purdue
Up next: vs. Illinois
Previous ranking: 13

There’s not much left to say about Northwestern at this point. The Wildcats have lost 10 consecutive games after beating Nebraska to begin the season and will finish with their lowest win total since at least 1993 depending on what happens against Illinois. A combination of turnover problems (two fumbles lost, one interception) and a nonexistent passing attack (9-of-20 for 78 yards) undid Northwestern on a day its defense held Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell to 159 yards through the air. Changes are needed in Evanston.

Read more:

• Blake Corum's injury could be a problem for Michigan
• RJ Young's Top 25 rankings after Week 12
• Heisman Watch: Caleb Williams is on the rise
• Week 12: All the top plays from a busy day
• Outside world sees nepotism at Iowa, but recruits see family

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.