Wow.

Purdue went on the road and knocked off both Wisconsin and Minnesota.

And now the conference title race is totally up for grabs.

Wisconsin and Nebraska are tied for first and have a head-to-match left, so if either wins out, they’re outright champions.

However, UW also has a road match at Minnesota left and Nebraska still has to go to Purdue, the hottest team in the league. So the odds that 16-4 is good enough to earn a share of the title are pretty reasonable. Can Purdue, Minnesota, and/or Penn State go from 12-4 to 16-4 in the next two weeks to get a share of the crown?

And Ohio State, who is two matches out, has the easiest closing kick. 15-5 probably won’t get it done, but weirder things have happened. Already. This season. All it would take is one upset and a couple of road wins among the remaining matches among the top six, and a six-way tie at 15-5 could happen.

Read on, and get ready to schedule your viewing.

Last Week’s Results:

Thurs. 11/11: #8 Minnesota def. Iowa: 25-22, 25-14, 25-17

Fri. 11/12: #25 Illinois def. Indiana: 25-11, 25-18, 25-17

Fri. 11/12: #15 Penn State def. Michigan: 26-24, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22

Fri. 11/12: #11 Nebraska def. Maryland: 25-11, 26-24, 25-18

Fri. 11/12: Michigan State def. Rutgers: 26-24, 25-20, 25-19

Fri. 11/12: #9 Purdue def. #4 Wisconsin: 25-20, 19-25, 25-22, 25-21

Sat. 11/13: #10 Ohio State def. Northwestern: 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16

Sat. 11/13: Michigan def. Rutgers: 25-9, 25-10, 25-15

Sat. 11/13: #15 Penn State def. Michigan State: 25-17, 21-25, 26-24, 25-13

Sat. 11/13: Iowa def. Maryland: 24-26, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22

Sun. 11/14: #10 Ohio State def. #25 Illinois: 27-25, 25-18, 25-23

Sun. 11/14: #11 Nebraska def. Indiana: 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-16

Sun. 11/14: #4 Wisconsin def. Northwestern: 25-27, 25-14, 25-22, 25-20

Sun. 11/14: #9 Purdue def. #8 Minnesota: 25-12, 14-25, 25-16, 25-22

Awards and Kudos

Current Standings

• Wisconsin 13-3
• Nebraska 13-3
• Minnesota 12-4
• Penn State 12-4
• Purdue 12-4
• Ohio State 11-5
• Illinois 9-7
• Michigan 8-8
• Maryland 6-10
• Northwestern 6-10
• Michigan State 4-12
• Indiana 3-13
• Iowa 3-13
• Rutgers 0-16

Team of the week: Purdue

Handing Wisconsin their first home loss since 2018 is impressive enough, but following it up with a road win at Minnesota—who entered the match the hottest team in the conference—that knocked the Gophers out of a first-place tie made this the best week for any B1G team this year. The Boilers did it with defense, holding the Gophers to a .165 hitting % and the Badgers to a woeful .128. Caitlyn Newton’s play seems to have her closing in on first-team All-B1G honors, and there is plenty of supporting help. Purdue has won six straight, and three of the last four are at home. Beat Nebraska to end the regular season, and a share of the conference title (at least) may well be there for the taking.

The Closing Kick

#5 Wisconsin: vs. Michigan State, @ #9 Minnesota, vs. #11 Nebraska, vs. Indiana

#11 Nebraska: vs. #15 Penn State, vs. Rutgers, @ #5 Wisconsin, @ #6 Purdue

#6 Purdue: vs. Michigan, @ Northwestern, vs. Indiana, vs. #11 Nebraska

#9 Minnesota: vs. Rutgers, vs. #5 Wisconsin, @ #15 Penn State, @ Maryland

#15 Penn State: @ #11 Nebraska, @ #10 Ohio State, vs. #9 Minnesota, vs. Iowa

#11 Ohio State: vs. Iowa, vs. #15 Penn State, @ Rutgers, @ Maryland

Watch (all times Central)

Fri. 11/19

Michigan @ Purdue (6:00, BTN)

Penn State @ Nebraska (8:00, BTN)

Sun. 11/21

Penn State @ Ohio State (2:00, BTN)

Wisconsin @ Minnesota (4:00, BTN)

Fri 11/26

Nebraska @ Wisconsin (4:30, BTN)

Minnesota @ Penn State (7:00, BTN)

Sat. 11/27

Nebraska @ Purdue (8:00, BTN)