2024 Big Ten Power Rankings: Oregon and Ohio State reign, while Indiana falls

The final top-five showdown on the Big Ten calendar was college football's main attraction in Week 13, as No. 5 Indiana and its brash head coach Curt Cignetti traveled to No. 2 Ohio State for a game with major conference championship implications. A victory for the Hoosiers would have all but assured them of an improbable trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game in early December. While a win for the Buckeyes would move them closer to clinching a spot at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2020.

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Despite how close these two programs were in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the on-field product reflected the kind of gulf most fans would expect between Indiana and Ohio State given the vast differences in pedigree.

Head coach Ryan Day and his team outclassed the Hoosiers in all three phases on Saturday with a 38-15 win that allowed the Buckeyes to maintain control of their own destiny entering the rivalry game against Michigan. Indiana, meanwhile, will likely need to hope for an at-large berth to be part of this year's playoff.

Elsewhere around the league, Penn State kept its own CFP hopes alive by narrowly avoiding what would have been a disastrous road loss to Minnesota. And Nebraska pulled away from Wisconsin to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. 

Here's fresh batch of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 13:

1. Oregon (11-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

Oregon clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship game with its hard-fought win at Wisconsin two weeks ago, even though the conference itself didn't realize the Ducks had done so until three days later. Such is life in a league with 18 teams and