ESPN Big Ten Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten regular season is over, and seven squads are on their way to bowl games. There's clear separation throughout the league, but it's becoming increasingly harder to separate Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa.

Michigan State beat both the Wildcats and the Hawkeyes, but I wouldn't say the Spartans are playing better than the other two. Northwestern went 1-1, beating Iowa and falling to Michigan State, but the Wildcats saved their best game for last and pounded Illinois. Iowa lost to both squads but is probably the Big Ten's hottest team with wins in five of its final six games. Plus, the Hawkeyes are the only squad to beat one of the elite two, upsetting Penn State on Nov. 8.

So it's a tough call, and you can make a case for any of those three teams to be No. 3. But because the regular season is complete, a team's body of work still means a little bit more.

Here's the rundown.

1. Penn State (11-1, 7-1) -- There's no question the Nittany Lions are the best team in the Big Ten. They were a 1-point road loss away from a possible trip to the national title game, and 10 of their 11 wins came by 14 points or more. Penn State turned in one of its more complete performances against Michigan State to seal a Rose Bowl berth.

2. Ohio State (10-2, 7-1) -- After stumbling late against Penn State, the Buckeyes were dominant in November, winning their three games by a combined score of 117-37. Ohio State looks BCS worthy, but it likely needs an Oregon State loss to get an at-large berth. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes won at least a share of the Big Ten title for the fourth straight season and recorded an unprecedented fifth straight win against Michigan.

3. Michigan State (9-3, 6-2) -- The Spartans are not an elite team, as evidenced by blowout losses to Ohio State and Penn State. But Mark Dantonio's squad is solid, and Michigan State overachieved in many ways this season. Up next is a New Year's Day bowl -- Capital One or Outback -- and a chance to validate a season where it learned how to win close games.

4. Northwestern (9-3, 5-3) -- Like Michigan State, Northwestern maximized its talent level despite struggling against an elite team (Ohio State). But the Wildcats also showed resiliency by winning three games after losing their best player, running back Tyrell Sutton, to a major wrist injury on Oct. 25. An extreme makeover on defense led Northwestern to its highest victories total since 1996.

5. Iowa (8-4, 5-3) -- I know I'll get ripped for putting the Hawkeyes so low, but once again, these three teams are pretty interchangeable right now and Iowa lost to both. Iowa has blossomed down the stretch, especially on the offensive side with Shonn Greene and Ricky Stanzi. Like many Big Ten teams, the Hawkeyes will be rooting for Oregon this week. If things fall right, Iowa could end up in the Outback Bowl. No matter what, teams won't want to face the Hawkeyes in the postseason.

6. Wisconsin (7-5, 3-5) -- There's a significant drop-off after the first five teams, but the Badgers showed they're the best of the rest with wins in three of the final four games. Wisconsin should have beaten Michigan State on Nov. 1 to further illustrate its turnaround, but the Badgers finally maximized their depth at running back down the stretch.

7. Minnesota (7-5, 3-5) -- Opportunistic defense and strong quarterback play sparked Minnesota to a 7-1 start, but it's clear that this program remains a work in progress. The Gophers seemed emotionally battered after the Northwestern loss on Nov. 1, and a blown lead two weeks ago at Wisconsin salted the wound. Four straight losses to close the season puts quite a damper on things.

8. Illinois (5-7, 3-5) -- The Illini broke records, produced big plays and filled up the highlight reels, but they made too many mistakes and never found any consistency. Talent can only take a team so far, and Illinois lacked the intangibles needed to build on last year's Rose Bowl run. Few expected another BCS push, but for a preseason top-20 team to miss a bowl is rather stunning.

9. Purdue (4-8, 2-6) -- It seemed like old times Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, as Purdue produced 62 points and 596 total yards in coach Joe Tiller's final game. Unfortunately for the Boilers, they didn't do nearly enough on offense during the first 11 contests. Tiller goes out with a bang, but Purdue needs to bounce back next year behind new coach Danny Hope.

10. Michigan (3-9, 2-6) -- A historically bad season is in the books, and Rich Rodriguez can finally look toward the future. Michigan didn't make noticeable progress in many areas and seemed to regress on defense as the weeks went along. It likely won't get any worse for the Wolverines, but after a school-record nine losses, this was tough to watch.

11. Indiana (3-9, 1-7) -- This is a familiar spot for the Hoosiers, but it wasn't supposed to be this season. With eight home games, star quarterback Kellen Lewis in the fold and some experience on defense, Indiana was set up for a return to the postseason. But a rash of injuries and underperformance on both sides of the ball put Indiana back at the bottom.