Where is Penn State football in the latest power rankings?

The conclusion of the regular season is upon us. Where has this season gone? It really went by in a flash as it seems we were all just buzzing about Drew Allar’s performance against West Virginia and now we are getting ready for the final Penn State football game of the 2023 regular season. The Big Ten power rankings are coming to a close in the next few weeks. But going into rivalry weekend there is a lot to sort out within the conference.

In regards to the rest of the conference, we have a champion of the West division with Iowa taking the crown. They will travel to Indianapolis to face the yet-to-be-determined winner of the East. Whether it is Michigan or Ohio State, there really is little to no hope for the Hawkeyes against either of those behemoths.

The conference has eight teams bowl-eligible and could add three more eligible teams this weekend. There are seven non-New Year Six bowl games affiliated with the Big Ten plus you have to figure there will be at least two if not three Big Ten teams in New Year Six bowls. It will be interesting to see how the pairings play out after championship weekend next week.

With that said, let’s get to the latest power rankings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

No. 14 Indiana 3-8 (Last week 13)

It was a back-and-forth affair between the Hoosiers and the Spartans with the Hoosiers ultimately falling by three points. Indiana’s last four games have been decided by less than 10 points but the Hoosiers lost three of those.

It appears Tom Allen’s time in Bloomington may be coming to an end. The Hoosiers face their in-state rivals Purdue to close out the season. The winner gets the Old Oaken Bucket.

No. 13 Purdue 3-8 (Last week 12)

Quarterback Hudson Card was out of Saturday’s game versus Northwestern due to injury so the Boilermakers played two quarterbacks. Neither had much success as they fell to the Wildcats 23-15. The Boilermakers turned over the ball four times.

Last year Purdue was Big Ten West champions. It will be a long off-season to try to right the ship for first-year coach Ryan Walters.

No. 12 Michigan State 4-7 (Last week 14)

It has mostly been a miserable season in East Lansing but the Spartans were able to get a victory over rival Indiana. Tight end Maliq Carr had a career game, catching seven balls for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Interim coach Harlon Barnett expects to interview for the job permanently. Seems unlikely he will get it. The Spartans finish up on Black Friday evening against the Penn State football team.

No. 11 Nebraska 5-6 (Last week 11)

Tell us if you have heard this one before. Nebraska lost their third consecutive game by one score, this time falling to Wisconsin in overtime 24-17.

At the end of October the Cornhuskers at 5-3 looked nearly assured to snap their six-year bowless streak. Now they need to beat Big Ten West champion Iowa to finally make a bowl game.

No. 10 Minnesota 5-6 (Last week 9)

In a surprise to no one, Minnesota lost to Ohio State 37-3. The Gophers managed just 159 total yards and 10 first downs while turning over the ball twice.

Minnesota hosts Wisconsin to conclude the season while trying to become bowl-eligible.

No. 9 Maryland 6-5 (Last week 10)

Maryland was down big to Michigan but never quit. While they ultimately fell, they played tough to keep themselves in the game. Their three turnovers were costly and contributed to the losing effort.

The Terps will be going bowling and look to close out their year with seven wins as they travel to Rutgers.

No. 8 Illinois 5-6 (Last week 8)

Illinois had the lead against Iowa late but could not finish the job against the Hawkeyes. The Illini still have not won in Iowa City this century.

Illinois now will need a victory over in-state rival Northwestern just to secure a bowl game.

No. 7 Wisconsin 6-5 (Last week 7)

The Badgers went down 14-0 in the first quarter against Nebraska but scored 24 of the game’s final 27 points to win and secure bowl eligibility for the 22nd consecutive year. They did it with a roster far from 100 percent healthy too.

The Badgers now travel to Minnesota, attempting to win Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the first time since the 2020 season.

No. 6 Rutgers 6-5 (Last week 5)

It’s a good thing Rutgers secured bowl eligibility in October. Their November stretch was always going to be a tough one and they have lost three consecutive games, the latest to the Penn State football team.

As it had in other games, the defense held its own and kept the team in the game against the Nittany Lions. But the offense could gain very little momentum against the Penn State defense.

No. 5 Northwestern 6-5 (Last week 6)

Northwestern notched their sixth win of the year and secured bowl eligibility. What a season it has been for the Wildcats and now full-time head coach David Braun. He has made a strong case to be named Big Ten coach of the year.

With a bowl game secured, the pressure to beat Illinois will be a little bit less. However, the Wildcats would love to beat their rival for the first time since the 2020 season.

No. 4 Iowa 9-2 (Last week 4)

The Hawkeyes did it again, pulling off a close win after it appeared they may lose. It was their fifth victory of the season while scoring 20 points or less.

Iowa is now a win over Nebraska from securing Kirk Ferentz’s eighth double-digit winning season of his career. Say what you will about Iowa football. It gets W’s and that’s all that ultimately matters. The Hawkeyes are the last team to win the crazy Big Ten West.

No. 3 Penn State 9-2 (Last week 3)

It was a strange game for the Penn State football team against Rutgers, but the Nittany Lions got the 27-6 victory. They are now one win away against Michigan State from a fifth 10-win season and likely a fifth NY6 bowl game under James Franklin.

The question for the Nittany Lions is the health of Drew Allar, who left early in the third quarter against the Scarlet Knights. Beau Pribula played well in relief so it will be interesting to see who gets the start in Detroit Friday night. The winner gets the best rivalry trophy ever, the Land Grant Trophy. Could Penn State leapfrog the loser of the game in the power rankings next week?

No. 2 Ohio State 11-0 (Last week 2)

Ohio State did exactly what an undefeated team should do against an inferior opponent. They took care of business easily against Minnesota. Now the Buckeyes turn their attention to rival Michigan in one of the most anticipated matchups of the college football season. With a win over Michigan, Ohio State will jump to the top of the power rankings.

No. 1 Michigan 11-0 (Last week 1)

Michigan appeared to be on their way to an easy victory over Maryland, leading the Terps 23-3 midway through the second quarter. But the Terps kept fighting and the Wolverines had to hang on for a seven-point victory.

Nearly dropped Michigan to number two this week in the rankings as a result. However with their game with Ohio State next, figured it will ultimately take care of itself in next week’s edition of the power rankings.

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