Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 14

For Northwestern, finishing with six wins after going 10-2 shouldn’t be impressive — but it should be commended after they got off to a 1-3 start. This is a team that has some of the most talented offensive players in the Big Ten in Justin Jackson and Austin Carr but their inconsistencies were part of the reason why the Wildcats finished .500. And after giving up 12 sacks over their last two games, it’s safe to say that their offensive line is a mess.

However, if Jackson and Carr perform up to their standards, they can compete with just about anyone. Against Illinois, we saw the good version of Jackson, as he finished with 173 rushing yards and three touchdowns. While it wasn’t a particularly strong game on defense, Anthony Walker continued to boost his draft stock by racking up nine tackles and a forced fumble.

For all of their flaws, Northwestern deserve to be competing in a bowl game. Depending on who they play, they can give their opponent trouble. They also have exciting talent on both sides of the field, and no matter the outcome, their game will be worth watching.

It was a longshot, but the Cornhuskers still had a chance to compete in the Big Ten Championship Game. They needed Minnesota to beat Wisconsin, but still had to hold up their end of the bargain by beating Iowa. Instead, they turned in one of their worst efforts of the season and lost by 30.

There was a lot that went wrong. They clearly tried to rush Tommy Armstrong back when he wasn’t healthy, and that resulted in a 13-of-35 performance. At the same time, Iowa’s defense has been great all season, and they stopped Nebraska’s usually stout running game. As a whole, Nebraska was held to just 217 total yards of offense, while on defense, they had no answer for Iowa’s two-headed rushing attack.

Considering how frustrating last year was for Nebraska, a 9-3 record is still very positive. But the only team they’ve beaten that was ranked at the time was Oregon, and they’re in dire straits right now. It looked like they bounced back well after their embarrassing loss to Ohio State but this performance leaves much to be desired heading into their bowl game.

For Minnesota, their frustrations against Wisconsin continue. They have dropped their 13^th straight contest against the Badgers, although that evened the season series between these two. But they let this game get away from them, as they held a 10-point lead at halftime before Mitch Leidner threw four second-half interceptions.

Coming into this contest, Leidner had six touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year. It was their defense – ranked 25^th in the country – that was keeping them in games. But they couldn’t hang with the Badgers’ unit, who mixed up their defensive pressures in the second half to keep Leidner guessing. In the end, he completed just nine of his 26 passes.

The Badgers already knew they were going to Indianapolis before this game started, so if there was any year in which the Gophers could spring an upset, this was the one. While Minnesota can usually rely on strong play from their tailbacks, Rodney Smith was limited to just 45 yards on 13 carries in this contest. But it was Leidner’s troubles under center that cost them, and it remains their biggest concern heading into their bowl game.