Penn State football looking to move up log jam of Big Ten’s elite teams with final road trip of 2024

Off delivering a beat-down to Purdue last Saturday, Penn State football will hit the road one final time in the regular season this week when the Nittany Lions travel to Minnesota.

We are heading to a fantastic finish to the year. Penn State is one of the four Big Ten teams still alive for the conference championship in Indianapolis. This week’s results may eliminate a team and provide scenarios heading into the final week. But as of now, all four teams look to be on solid ground for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Where is Penn State football in the Big Ten power rankings heading into the penultimate week of the season?

The rest of the conference is pretty muddled (or mid, as the kids say these days – keep in mind, I am an older Millennial). Where do all teams rank heading into Week 13 of the regular season?

18. Purdue, 1-9 (Last week 18)

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Purdue was completely overwhelmed in its 49-10 loss to Penn State football. The Boilermakers are just playing out their final weeks at this point and are a lock to end the season in the basement of the conference.

17. Maryland, 4-6 (Last week 17)

The Terps have lost three straight, the latest loss coming against Rutgers. Not looking good for Maryland to get bowl eligible with Iowa and Penn State to close out the year.

16. Northwestern, 4-6 (Last week 16)

The Wildcats’ first drive went deep into Ohio State territory before ending in a fumble. Their next drive did end in a touchdown to go up 7-0 on the Buckeyes. But that was the end of the good news for Northwestern, as its defense gave up the last 31 points in the game.

Northwestern must win both its remaining games (at Michigan and Illinois) to get bowl eligible.

15. Michigan State, 4-6 (Last week 14)

With the Spartans’ 38-16 loss against Illinois, they have dropped three straight and are in danger of missing out on a bowl game for the third consecutive season.

Michigan State will host Purdue this Friday night.

14. UCLA, 4-6 (Last week 13)

The Bruins’ three-game winning streak ended against Washington, losing 31-19. To become bowl-eligible, UCLA must win both its remaining games against USC and Fresno State.

13. Rutgers, 6-4 (Last week 15)

Rutgers will go bowling for the second consecutive season after its 31-17 win over Maryland. It is the first time in a decade the Scarlet Knights will have back-to-back bowl appearances.

Rutgers gets its final home against Illinois this Saturday, where it’ll look to improve its bowl standing.

12. Nebraska, 5-5 (Last week 11)

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The Huskers lost another close game, this time to USC, 28-20. Once again, the elusive sixth victory will have to wait another week. Matt Rhule’s Huskers are now 0-8 when trying to get their sixth victory.

If Nebraska fails to beat either Wisconsin at home or Iowa on the road, many will view it as a complete and utter failure. I’m not saying Rhule will get fired, but there has to be some mental block within the program that keeps the longest non-bowl streak among Power Four teams alive.

11. USC, 5-5 (Last week 12)

Jayden Maiava’s first start under center for the Trojans went pretty well. The sophomore threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns while running back Woody Marks tacked on 146 yards on the ground.

The Trojans will need a victory in one of their final two games to secure bowl eligibility. Up next is a crosstown trip to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA.

10. Michigan, 5-5 (Last week 10)

Michigan was off this week before its matchup with Northwestern. The Wolverines better beat the Wildcats to secure bowl eligibility. If not, it will be much tougher to do against the Buckeyes next week.

9. Wisconsin, 5-5 (Last week 9)

Similar to their matchup against Penn State in late October, the Badgers had a top-five team on the ropes. Once again, they failed to deliver a knockout blow, and Oregon had a fourth-quarter comeback to win. I cannot blame the Wisconsin defense for the loss, and offensive coordinator Phil Longo fell on his sword this week as a result, departing from Madison during only his second season.

The Badgers will need to beat either Nebraska or rival Minnesota to keep their 22-year bowl streak alive.

8. Washington, 6-5 (Last week 8)

The Huskies took care of visiting UCLA at home 31-19 this past Friday night. After Washington led 14-10 at halftime, quarterback Will Rogers threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions. Rogers was pulled in favor of Demond Williams, who led three consecutive scoring drives to put the game away.

Now bowl eligible, the Huskies get an extra week to prepare for rival Oregon. It will be interesting to see who coach Jedd Fisch chooses as his starting quarterback.

7. Minnesota, 6-4 (Last week 7)

The Gophers were on a bye this week to prepare for their home matchup against Penn State football.

6. Iowa, 6-4 (Last week 6)

The Hawkeyes had the week off and travel to Maryland this coming Saturday.

5. Illinois, 7-3 (Last week 5)

Everything clicked for Illinois in its 38-16 win over Michigan State. Running back Josh McCray found the end zone three times, and wide receiver Pat Bryant had a career game with 135 yards and a score. The Illini defense smothered Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles, sacking him five times.

Illinois finishes the season with two road games against Rutgers and Northwestern. Win both, and a nine-win Illini team would earn a pretty decent bowl invite.

4. Penn State, 9-1 (Last week 4)

© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is Tyler Warren’s world; we are just living in it. The “Swiss Army Knife” put on a show against an overmatched Purdue defense, leading the Nittany Lions in rushing and receiving on the day. He had 190 total yards and found the end zone with a touchdown catch and rushing score.

Drew Allar threw three touchdowns and only two incompletions as the Nittany Lions played a complete game from start to finish. That’s what good teams do to bad teams: never give them a chance.

Next up for Penn State football is a trip to Minneapolis to face the Golden Gophers. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions will hope to avoid a repeat of the last time they traveled to the Land of 10,000 Lakes as a top-four team, where their playoff hopes were dashed in dramatic fashion.

3. Indiana, 10-0 (Last week 3)

The Hoosiers got an extra week to prepare for their road trip to Columbus. This is one of the biggest matchups in program history for the Hoosiers. Also, Curt Cignetti got a nice contract extension.

2. Ohio State, 9-1 (Last week 2)

Ohio State took care of business against Northwestern 31-7 at Wrigley Field. Quarterback Will Howard threw two touchdowns, both to Carnell Tate, and the Buckeye defense held the Wildcats in check after giving up the game’s first touchdown.

No one at the beginning of the season would have thought Ohio State hosting Indiana would be bigger than the Michigan game the following week, but here we are.

1. Oregon, 11-0 (Last week 1)

Oregon needed a fourth-quarter comeback against Wisconsin to preserve its undefeated record. It was the first game of the season that quarterback Dillon Gabriel failed to throw a touchdown pass. The Ducks did not find the end zone until running back Jordan James’ 11-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter.

After a bye week, the Ducks will conclude the regular season with a home game against rival Washington.

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