Saturday, Nov. 15 proved to be a relatively ho-hum day for the Big Ten as the 2025 college football regular season begins winding down.
With the College Football Playoff rankings being released every week, every game here-on-out matters, as teams jockey for conference standings and playoff positioning.
No. 17 Michigan (No. 18 in CFP) survived a scare from Northwestern when Dominic Zvada hit a 31-yard field goal as the clock expired to give the Wolverines a 24-22 win.
No. 1 Ohio State (No. 1 in CFP), missing receiver Carnell Tate for a second straight week, remained unbeaten following a 48-10 win over UCLA, who was without quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Likewise, No. 2 Indiana cruised to a 31-7 win over Wisconsin after leading only 10-7 after the first half. Fernando Mendoza turned in a strong 22-of-24 passing performance for 299 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
No. 6 Oregon (No. 8 in CFP) took care of business against Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 14, with a 42-13 win over Minnesota in Eugene, Oregon. Meanwhile, in the final ranked game, No. 18 USC played Iowa, outscoring the Hawkeyes 16-0 in the second half to escape with a 26-21 comeback win after trailing 21-10 at halftime.
Penn State beat Michigan State 28-10, Illinois beat Maryland 24-6 and Washington beat Purdue 49-13 in unranked action in Week 12.
Here’s a look at how the Week 12 games impacted the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings:
College football rankings after Week 12
Big Ten teams bolded. First-place votes in parentheses.
US LBM Coaches Poll
Others receiving votes: Navy 56; SMU 42; Illinois 34; Washington 28; Iowa 24; Arizona 23; Louisville 21; San Diego State 19; Arizona State 16; Pittsburgh 13; Nebraska 12; East Carolina 3.
AP Top 25
Others receiving: Navy 61, Illinois 31, SMU 28, Arizona State, 19, Louisville 17, Iowa 14, Pittsburgh 12, San Diego State 12, Arizona 9, UNLV 9, Washington 8, South Florida 6, East Carolina 4, UConn 1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: College football rankings after Week 12: Updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 for Big Ten
Reporting by Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
