Big Ten Football Power Rankings 2017: Badgers remain steady in Week 11

Purdue lost to Northwestern 23-13 yet they do not drop in the power rankings. With a whole lot of weak sauce behind them, you can see why. This spot is the start of real mediocrity in the conference.

The Boilermakers had a good game plan to stop running back Justin Jackson, who was held to 46 yards on 25 carries. However they were torched through the air by Northwestern. Starting for an injured David Blough, quarterback Elijah Sindelar attempted 60 passes, completing 37 of them for 376 yards and two touchdowns. But the story has been Purdue’s lack of a consistent rushing attack and they only amassed 40 yards against the Wildcats.

Purdue must win their last two games to get to a bowl, the same situation as their rivals Indiana. Before they play the Hoosiers, they face Iowa on the road this upcoming Saturday.

Iowa cornerback Joshua Jackson had not one, but two interception returns for touchdowns against Wisconsin. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, those scores were all they could muster in a 38-14 loss.

A week after putting up 487 yards of total offense against Ohio State, the Hawkeyes only managed 66 yards. The Hawkeyes also turned over the ball three times, including one fumble returned for a Wisconsin score. Iowa could not convert a single third down conversion, going 0-for-13, and they only had five first downs for the entire game. Really nothing positive to say for the Hawkeyes offense.

The good news for the Hawkeyes is they have two winnable games to improve their bowl standing. They return home to face Purdue and visit Nebraska in the season finale.

Northwestern won their fifth game in a row, beating Purdue 23-13. The Wildcats are hot and seeking a nine win season.

Quarterback Clayton Thorson was the star of the show for the Wildcats. He contributed two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air, while passing for nearly 300 yards. Both touchdowns came in the second quarter and then the Wildcats kept adding field goals to keep the Boilermakers at bay. The Northwestern defense gave up a ton of yards, but only yielded two touchdowns in the second half.

Pat Fitzgerald‘s team has a real good chance of finishing with nine wins after starting the season 2-3. They stay home against Minnesota this Saturday, followed by a trip to Illinois.