ESPN ranks Big Ten Football teams from first to last after Week 13

Week 13 is in the books, and Rivalry Week is here to wrap up the season. The Big Ten has some of the best rivalries in all of college football, but before that action, ESPN took the time to rank every school in the Big Ten from first to last.

ESPN used its FPI metric to come up with these Big Ten rankings. FPI is a tool that ESPN uses largely for predictive purposes. In other words, it’s not trying to reproduce conference rankings. Instead, the goal is to project moving forward for the conference.

Keeping all of that in mind, here’s how ESPN ranked the Big Ten teams coming out of Week 13. There is still one more regular season week for movement left after this too.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Still undefeated following Week 13, Ohio State does not yet have its slot in the Big Ten Championship Game clinched. Chaos is still possible. At the same time, the Buckeyes look like they’re assured a spot in the College Football Playoff and remain at the top of the ESPN conference rankings.

In the final week of the season, Ohio State is set to take on rival Michigan. Removing the context from around the rest of the season, that game is incredibly important in its own right as the Buckeyes are looking to finally snap their losing streak in The Game.

2. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is entering the final week of the regular season undefeated and coming off a bye week. The Hoosiers also find themselves sitting at No. 2 in the ESPN Power Rankings for the Big Ten.

This week, the Hoosiers need to remain focused on rival Purdue. Assuming they add a win there, Indiana is going to be able to turn its attention to the Big Ten Championship Game and, ultimately, the CFP too.

3. Oregon Ducks

Oregon is coming off a big win over USC in Week 13. With that, it’s now been five games since the Ducks suffered their only loss of the season to Indiana. That has, in turn, helped them to solidify their spot in the CFP moving forward.

Making the Big Ten Championship Game would be tough for Oregon, given the loss to Indiana. So, they’d need help there. Instead, the focus needs to be on beating rival Washington in the final week of the season so that they have as strong a resume as possible for the CFP.

4. USC Trojans

The USC Trojans suffered their third loss of the season over the weekend. This one, like the other two, came on the road. Unfortunately, by the time it was all said and done, the score wasn’t particularly close either as Oregon won 42-27.

That third loss, seemingly, has cost USC a shot at the CFP this season. That’s even with the Trojans sitting at No. 4 in ESPN’s Big Ten ranking. Still, there’s nothing that USC can do about the selection committee rankings. Instead, they need to finish strong against UCLA.

5. Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines are now riding a five-game winning streak. That’s both kept them alive in the Big Ten Championship race and even the CFP race. So, it’s no surprise that the Wolverines are one of the top end of teams within the conference.

Almost everything is on the line for Michigan this week. Put aside the rivalry with Ohio State, which is very hard to do. With only one conference loss, a win would give the Buckeyes their first conference loss and give Michigan the tiebreaker in the standings. It would also, seemingly, be a boost to the CFP for Michigan.

6. Penn State Nittany Lions

Coming into the season, Penn State was a national championship contender. By midway through the season, they’d fired head coach James Franklin. So, while talented, the season had gone very wrong. Despite that, after winning two games in a row, Penn State is No. 6 in ESPN’s Big Ten rankings.

Penn State wraps up the season on the road against Rutgers. If they manage to get a win there, the Nittany Lions will have capped off their season by getting to bowl eligibility.

7. Washington Huskies

It’s been an improved season for Washington in year two under Jedd Fisch. Perhaps tarnished by the upset loss to Wisconsin, the Huskies have since bounced back and now find themselves coming off back-to-back blowout wins. With that, they now sit at No. 7 in the ESPN rankings.

The Big Ten is out of reach for Washington. The Huskies can help create some chaos nationally, though. All they have to do is upset rival Oregon to wrap up the season.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes have had some tough luck against top-end Big Ten opponents this season. That’s included a couple of close losses that could have completely swung their season. The breaks didn’t go Iowa’s way, though, and now they’re settling for trying to finish the season on a high note.

Iowa was able to win a close game last week against Michigan State. Now, the Hawkeyes are looking to finish with a win over rival Nebraska before getting into bowl season.

9. Illinois Fighting Illini

Coming into the season, Illinois was thought to be a dark horse within the Big Ten. They’ve been a little too inconsistent for that kind of season, including a loss last week to Wisconsin, but it’s still been a good year overall for the Illini.

This week, Illinois has a chance to wrap up with a win over rival Northwestern. That game is set to be played in Champaign. On the line is a winning record in Big Ten play this season for both teams.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska has run into some struggles since the injury to quarterback Dylan Raiola went down with an injury. That includes a blowout loss on the road to Penn State last week. Now, the Cornhuskers find themselves 10th in ESPN’s Big Ten rankings.

As usual, Nebraska will wrap up the regular season against rival Iowa. The hope is to snap their two-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes. Adding a win there would help the Cornhuskers finish with a winning record in conference play.

11. Northwestern Wildcats
12. Wisconsin Badgers
13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
14. Minnesota Golden Gophers
15. Michigan State Spartans
16. Maryland Terrapins
17. UCLA Bruins
18. Purdue Boilermakers