ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

No change at the top with both Penn State and Ohio State idle on Saturday, but there's plenty of movement in the Big Ten's midsection. My sense is that the top three teams -- Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State -- will remain in place for a while. But there could be a lot more shuffling in the league's next tier.

1. Penn State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) -- The Nittany Lions are the class of the Big Ten and need three wins for an undefeated season and a possible trip to the national title game. A road trip to Iowa looks easier after the Hawkeyes' mistake-ridden loss to Illinois, but Penn State might need wins and style points to make it to Miami.

2. Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) -- The Buckeyes' blowout win at Michigan State keeps them here, but they need to figure out an offensive identity in the final three weeks. It will be interesting to see how freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor responds to his first brush with failure when the Buckeyes travel to Northwestern. Three wins could still get Ohio State into a BCS bowl.

3. Michigan State (8-2, 5-1) -- A come-from-behind win against Wisconsin puts the Spartans in their rightful place behind Penn State and Ohio State. Mark Dantonio's team is positioned well for a New Year's Day bowl, at the very least. If Michigan State wins out and there's a three-way tie for the Big Ten lead, the Spartans would get the BCS berth because they played no FCS opponents.

4. Northwestern (7-2, 3-2) -- A new starting offensive backfield didn't deter Northwestern, which showed its resiliency in a road win against Minnesota. The Wildcats shut out the Gophers in the second half and backup quarterback Mike Kafka ran for 217 yards. Northwestern always struggles with Ohio State, but it could pick up wins against Michigan and Illinois to finish out a strong season.

5. Minnesota (7-2, 3-2) -- This is a critical juncture for the Gophers, who have been prone to late-season collapses triggered by last-minute losses. Minnesota finishes with three winnable trophy games against rivals Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. Nine or 10 wins is still possible, but Minnesota's leadership and poise will be tested after the Northwestern loss.

6. Illinois (5-4, 3-3) -- Who knows what to make of this team? It's unbelievably talented, but unbelievably inconsistent. Illinois pulled out a must-win game against Iowa, and the secondary stepped up big to force three turnovers. But the Illini have won consecutive games only once this season, and they next travel to Detroit to face 7-2 Western Michigan.

7. Iowa (5-4, 2-3) -- The Hawkeyes drop a spot after another close loss. For a while, fans could argue that Iowa was one of the best three-loss teams around. It's pretty clear the Hawkeyes are simply not clutch. Since 2005, Iowa has lost nine consecutive games by three points or fewer. The Hawkeyes could be battling Wisconsin and Illinois for the league's final bowl spot.

8. Wisconsin (4-5, 1-5) -- Here's another team that has lost its magic in close games. For the third time this season, Wisconsin blew a fourth-quarter lead and fell at Michigan State. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on head coach Bret Bielema eventually led to a defensive collapse in the final nine minutes. Wisconsin still could go a bowl game, but it would be a poor consolation prize for a team that entered the season with BCS hopes.

9. Purdue (3-6, 1-4) -- The Boilermakers won the basement battle and did it in classic Joe Tiller fashion, with offense and creative play-calling in the fourth quarter. Trips to Michigan State and Iowa likely will take Purdue out of bowl contention, but the future looks bright with Justin Siller at quarterback.

10. Indiana (3-6, 1-4) -- After making strides on defense the week before against Northwestern, the Hoosiers backslid yet again. Injuries are part of the problem, but besides middle linebacker and blog favorite Matt Mayberry, few players have made significant strides on that side of the ball. Indiana finishes its once-promising eight-game home schedule Saturday against slumping Wisconsin.

11. Michigan (2-7, 1-4) -- You read it right. Rich Rodriguez might get Michigan to the top eventually, but right now the Wolverines are in the cellar. The offensive struggles have been well documented, but arguably a bigger disappointment is a defense that slipped to 96th nationally in scoring (30.9 ppg) after Saturday's loss to Purdue. A 2-10 season is possible.