Ohio State, Indiana remain atop Big Ten, prepare for 1-vs-2 battle

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The Big Ten delivered in its final regular-season slate of games. Ohio State and Indiana both got huge wins in preparation for their Big Ten Championship showdown. The USC Trojans got by UCLA and finished the season 9-3, hugely improving on last season’s poor finish in the Big Ten. Many teams’ seasons may be over, but with how the season ended for them, there is hope 2026 can be their year.

Here are my Big Ten football rankings after Week 14:

1. Indiana Hoosiers (12-0)

Indian walked all over the Boilermakers; their run game looked dominant, and their defense was smothering. The Hoosiers will need all of those things against the Buckeyes. The Big Ten championship game could also very well decide who wins the Heisman trophy award. This will be another game for Fernando Mendoza to prove himself worthy of potentially being the number 1 overall pick next April. Whoever comes on top in this upcoming game of good on good, it will undoubtedly go down as a classic game.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)

The Buckeyes bullied their bully over the past few years, getting a convincing win over the Wolverines. This Ohio State team does not need to lose to Michigan to win it all this season. Their next test in front of them before the College Football Playoff will be beating the Hoosiers.

3. Oregon Ducks (11-1)

While this team is not as good as it was last season, it still looks like a team that can win it all. In their last game, the Ducks won a game against a good team without having a dominant run performance. Dante Moore Jr. can adjust to whatever is needed of him, and he has delivered this season.

4. USC Trojans (9-3)

The Trojans may have missed the College Football Playoff, but this team is still trending in the right direction sitting at a 9-3 season. With a tough schedule next season, USC will have all the resources possible to be competitive, and its toughest games will be at home. Lincoln Riley will need to take another step forward next year, and he can not let 9-3 be his ceiling in the Big Ten.

5. Michigan Wolverines (9-3)

Michigan has all the young talent possible to be excited for the future, but after a loss to Ohio State, many are wondering if they have the right coach to man the ship of the future. Sherrone Moore has at times struggled to get the most out of at least young quarterback Bryce Underwood and utilize his most dangerous traits. I think Moore will atleast get one more season with all the top candidates already locked down.

6. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4)

Kirk Ferentz showed his consistent greatness this season by still having an Iowa team that may not be as talented as the other Big Ten teams, still in the thick of things, and really competitive against the best of the best in the conference. Mark Gronowski proved to be a hit at quarterback, and he showed up big in clutch situations all season. This seems to be the ceiling for Iowa every season, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Most programs would kill to have an 8-4 season.

7. Washington Huskies (8-4)

Washington had a prolific offense this season and, honestly, it was a pretty good year. The Huskies have a shot to finish the season with 9 wins. Not being consistent enough on offense at times and being terrible on the road coast, this team has a potential College Football Playoff berth, but with how talented Demond Williams showed, he can be this team could have those aspirations next season.

8. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4)

Bret Bielema clinched his third 8-win season in his 3 years, becoming the first coach in Illinois history to do so. This team has the right coach, yet the talent is not where it needs to be for this team to be with Oregon, and right below the top teams in the country. Got to have faith that Bielema will have at least one season where this team over exceeds expectations.

9. Northwestern Wildcats (6-6)

It was a close game, and it went down to the wire; unfortunately, the Wildcats made all the mistakes possible to give Illinois the victory. Preston Stone looked good at times this year, but still not consistent enough to give the Wildcats a higher ceiling this year. The Wildcats do have some young talent, like players like Caleb Komolafe, to be excited about, and they have the right guy in David Braun leading the ship.

10. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-6)

Penn State might not have put up the best defensive performance, but boy, is this run game fun to watch. 300 yards on the ground, and Kaytron Allen will make some NFL team very happy next April. I don’t think Ethan Grunkemeyer is the answer at quarterback for this team, but if they can upgrade that position and retain Terry Smith, I like the future for this program.

11. Minnesota Gophers (7-5)

The Gophers may have gone 0-5 on the road and gotten blown out by better opponents this season. P.J. Fleck reminds everyone that he and the Gophers now own the Badgers. What a win to end the season, and this is how Fleck remains in the good graces of all the important people in Minnesota. He may be a little bit overrated, but he wins the most important game of the regular season on a consistent basis.

12. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-5)

Matt Rhule, in his tenure, has been terrible in November, and he has helped continue the streak of Iowa owning the Cornhuskers. Kirk Ferentz now has 7 wins total at Memorial Stadium, more than Matt Rhule currently. Dylan Raiola is going to transfer. Things once looked promising for Nebasks after a great early start, but now they are taking a turn for the worse after a 7-5 finish in year 3.

13. Wisconsin Badgers (4-8)

Not the ending the Badgers wanted, and unfortunately, Minnesota has had its number as of late. Luke Fickell has proven, at the very least, that he will give his team a great defensive identity. Next year, the goal will be to get back to the great running days for this program. Also, to get a quarterback on this team who can play. If they do that, Wisconsin can get back to its dominance.

14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-7)

Rutgers’ defense has been its Achilles heel all season, but this offense was really productive this year. That needs to be the point of emphasis next season, and with Greg Schiano, you are always at the very least sitting atop the bad teams in the Big Ten.

15. Michigan State Spartans (4-8)

Jonathan Smith was just relieved from his duties even after a nice win against Maryland, which tells you just how bad this season was. Alessio Milivojevic showed great promise in Saturday’s win, but for him to continue this success, there needs to be more talent brought in and a proven head coach brought into the building.

16. UCLA Bruins (3-9)

UCLA showed fight verus USC, and were even up 10-7 at halftime. Unfortunately, they reverted to being the team they have been for the majority of the season and got blown out in the second half. There was a little bit of magic for this interim coaching regime, but to get blown 3 out of your last 4 games, yeah, that magic does not feel sustainable. This program needs to get it right at the head coach next, or the Bruins could be looking at an irrelevant next couple of years in the Big Ten.

17. Maryland Terrapins (4-8)

The Terrapins were one of the hottest teams at the start of the season, and Malik Washington was on a tear. Maryland followed that up by losing the last 8 games of their season, and Malik Washington regressed. Malik Washington had his most recent best game against the terrible Spartans’ defense. Maryland still lost to the Spartans, a team that just fired its head coach. They are lucky they did not play Purdue, or else they would have probably lost to them, too.

18. Purdue Boilermakers (2-10)

Purdue ended the season not even standing a chance against Indiana. While the talent gap was huge, you would think there would be a little more effort for the last game of the season. Purdue did play better this season, but only saw a one-game increase in their record. The Boilermakers are still trying to put an end to their 18-game conference losing streak. There will definitely need to be a huge influx of more talent to see that happen. The Big Ten is only getting better, and this program is not making the necessary changes to adjust.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Power rankings for Big Ten football entering Championship Saturday

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