Big Ten football power rankings, Week 12: Who will win the West?

Northwestern dropped their ninth game in a row, this time losing to Minnesota 31-3. The Wildcats only converted 10 first downs and possessed the ball for less than 20 minutes.

This team just wants this miserable season to end as soon as possible. Pat Fitzgerald has a long off-season ahead of him. There may need to be a total house cleaning.

Not quite as bad as Northwestern, but the Hoosiers lost their seventh game in a row against Ohio State. They really had no shot Saturday as the Buckeyes did anything they wanted to do.

Indiana will now finish without a bowl appearance for a second consecutive season. This after their top 20 finish in 2020 when the program direction appeared to be trending way up. Now it appears that year was just an aberration. The Hoosiers take on the Spartans this upcoming Saturday.

Rutgers kept it close against Michigan State but ultimately fell 27-21 to the Spartans. It was their third consecutive loss and six out of the last seven games. The penalties were a huge factor in their latest loss as Rutgers accumulated 14 accepted penalties for 108 yards.

The bright spot for the Scarlet Knights has to be the play of Gavin Wimsatt under center. He tossed two touchdowns while also picking up 236 yards threw the air. If he can use the performance as a springboard, Rutgers could be moving in a better direction next season.