SiriusXM Big Ten Radio Football Power Rankings – Week 11

Pete Pistone and the rest of the SiriusXM Big Ten Radio team will unveil Power Rankings each week of the college football season. Check out their 2021 Power Rankings below, and start listening to SiriusXM Big Ten Radio (Ch. 372) on the SXM App now.

Down the stretch they come, and the Big Ten Football season is headed to a thrilling finish. Here’s how the Big Ten Radio team voted for this week’s edition of the Power Rankings:

1. OHIO STATE

Garrett Wilson returned from missing last week with an injury and led an explosive Ohio State offense with four touchdowns in a 59-31 win over Purdue Saturday in front of 101,009 in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes have now won eight consecutive games to move to 9-1 on the season and 7-0 in Big Ten play. Wilson, who caught three TD passes and ran for another 51-yard score, finished the game with 10 receptions for 126 yards. He led a receiving corps that included Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9-139-TD) and Chris Olave (9-85-TD). Quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 31-of-38 attempts for 361 yards for five touchdowns.

NEXT: Michigan State (November 20)

2. MICHIGAN

Cade McNamara threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to tight end Erick All with 3:29 left and No. 8 Michigan stayed in the Big Ten championship race, rallying past tricky No. 23 Penn State 21-17 on Saturday. McNamara completed 19 of 29 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns to boost the Wolverines. Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards on 31 carries and Roman Wilson caught a pair of touchdown passes for the Wolverines, who led 14-6 midway through the fourth quarter.

NEXT: @Maryland (November 20)

3. MICHIGAN STATE

Payton Thorne threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns and Kenneth Walker III ran for 143 yards and two TDs as No. 7 Michigan State topped Maryland, 40-21, Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium. Walker collected a total of 172 all-purpose yards as he also had two catches for 29 yards. It marked Walker’s seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season and it was his sixth game of 150-plus all-purpose yards. Thorne completed 22-of-31 passes and tied his career high with four TDs as the Spartans (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) had 481 yards of total offense.

NEXT: Michigan State (November 20)

4. WISCONSIN

Braelon Allen rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 20 Wisconsin beat Northwestern 35-7 for its sixth consecutive victory on Saturday. Graham Mertz threw two touchdown passes, and Wisconsin’s defense recorded four interceptions. Northwestern’s Andrew Marty was picked off three times for a second straight week.

NEXT: Nebraska (November 20)

5. PENN STATE

The Nittany Lions played Michigan tough but came up short in a 21-17 loss to the Wolverines.

NEXT: Rutgers (November 20)

6. IOWA

The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes downed Minnesota, 27-22, on Saturday afternoon inside a sold-out Kinnick Stadium to retain the traveling trophy Floyd of Rosedale for a seventh straight year. The victory moves Iowa to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in Big Ten play. Minnesota scored a touchdown with 5 1/2 minutes left to close to within 24-22, but the Hawkeye defense got the stop on the two-point conversion attempt when junior Dane Belton batted down Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan’s attempt at the line of scrimmage.

NEXT: Illinois (November 20)

7. MINNESOTA

The Golden Gophers dropped their second straight game with a tough 27-22 loss to Iowa.

NEXT: @Indiana (November 20)

8. PURDUE

The dream of another big-time Purdue upset was squashed by Ohio State as the Buckeyes beat the Boilermakers 59-31.

NEXT: @Northwest (Wrigley Field – November 20)

9. RUTGERS

Isaih Pacecho scored two touchdowns Saturday and Rutgers took advantage of six turnovers to rout Indiana 38-3, putting the Scarlet Knights on the cusp of postseason play. They are one win away from becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2014. Rutgers converted the turnovers into 17 points and finished with its most lopsided conference win since joining the Big Ten — easily surpassing the previous best, 22 points, against Indiana in 2015.

NEXT: @Penn State (November 20)

10. MARYLAND

Michigan State stopped the Terrapins 40-21 last Saturday in East Lansing.

NEXT: Michigan (November 20)

11. ILLINOIS

The Fighting Illini had a bye week and now look to end the season on an upswing.

NEXT: @Iowa (November 20)

12. NEBRASKA

It was a bye week for the Huskers and Scott Frost will try to guide Nebraska to a positive end to the season over the final two games of the year.

NEXT: @Wisconsin (November 20)

13. INDIANA

Rutgers sent the Hoosiers to another loss last Saturday in Bloomington as Indiana looks for its first conference win of the season.

NEXT: Minnesota (November 20)

14. NORTHWESTERN

Wisconsin got off to an early lead and never looked back beating the Wildcats 35-7.

NEXT: Purdue @Wrigley Field (November 20)