Big Ten football power rankings, Week 14: Michigan reigns as king

Nebraska’s season was over heading into the Iowa game. There would be no bowl game and most likely interim head coach Mickey Joseph would not be getting the full-time gig. But that did not stop the Huskers from playing their hearts out.

They built a 24-0 lead against the Hawkeyes and then held off a comeback to pull the upset 24-17, spoiling the Hawkeyes’ hopes of getting back to Indianapolis. Also, they broke their seven-game losing streak to Iowa.

Now with Matt Rhule becoming the next head coach, the Huskers are poised to turn the page and start anew. Rhule has the ability to turn around programs as he did so at both Temple and Baylor. Should be an interesting offseason in Lincoln.

Michigan State concluded its season with a loss at Penn State this past Saturday afternoon. After winning 11 games a year ago, the Spartans end with only five victories this season and no bowl game.

Between the lackluster on-the-field results plus the fallout from the ugly tunnel incident at Michigan, Mel Tucker has his work cut out for him this offseason to get the program back on track. Only time will tell if the Spartans can return to the upper echelon of the conference.

Maryland posted their first shutout against a Big Ten opponent since joining the conference, defeating Rutgers 37-0. The Terps improved upon their regular season from a year ago by one more win.

While the Terps will only be getting a mid-tier bowl game, it will be another opportunity for more practice. If they can win the bowl game, the eight-win season will be their best since Ralph Friedgen’s last with the program in 2010 when they won nine games. The team is improving under Mike Locksley. It is just really hard to break through in a tough-as-nails division like the Big Ten East.