Big Ten Football Power Rankings, Week 11: Michigan State finally stumbles

This week in the Big Ten football power rankings, Michigan State falls in West Lafayette while Ohio State survives in Lincoln. 

We’re leavin’ together
But still, it’s farewell
And maybe we’ll come back
To Earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We’re leaving ground (leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
It’s the final countdown
The final countdown

~The Final Countdown by Europe

Welcome back to the Big Ten Power Rankings. We are getting close to the end of what has been an intriguing and entertaining season. The race to Indianapolis has taken some interesting turns.

Minnesota lost to Bowling Green but looked like they would be a player in the Big Ten race, and then they lost to Illinois. The Illini have an outside shot at a bowl in year one of the Bret Bielema experience.

Purdue has taken out the Nos. 2 and 3 ranked teams at the time they played.  They also lost to Minnesota, who lost to Bowling Green.  As bad as Wisconsin has looked, they own the tiebreakers in the West with wins against Purdue and Iowa.

Wisconsin plays Minnesota to end the season. That game could determine the Big Ten West, but the Gophers did lose to Bowling Green, so don’t trust them to run the table before they play the Badgers at season’s end.

The irony to this season is as much parody has existed with Iowa’s rise (and precipitous fall), Purdue playing giant slayer (strap it up Buckeyes), and Michigan State exceeding expectations, Wisconsin and Ohio State could play for the Big Ten title again.

So, to the long grass of Ryan Field, jumping around at Camp Randall, and dotting the i in Ohio, here are the Power Rankings for Week 11.