Gophers loss leaves a four-team logjam atop Big Ten West

When the rubber FieldTurf pellets settled across the Big Ten's football landscape on the first Saturday night of November, the picture in the West Division remained a puzzle. Four teams are knotted atop the division with 4-2 conference records, making the final three weeks of the regular season a free-for-all for the coveted trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

"Everything's in front of us, but there's four teams in the West that everything's in front of them,'' Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.

The Gophers, who entered Saturday with a 4-1 Big Ten record, contributed to the chaos by losing 14-6 at home to Illinois, a 14½-point underdog. After Wisconsin routed Rutgers, Iowa edged Northwestern and Purdue stunned Michigan State, the quartet of Gophers, Badgers, Hawkeyes and Boilermakers share the lead at 4-2. Each has a path to Indianapolis, but only Minnesota and Wisconsin control their own destiny to make it. Iowa and Purdue would need some help.

Here's a look at the four teams tied for the lead:

Purdue

Record: 6-3, 4-2 Big Ten

Remaining games: Saturday at Ohio State, Nov. 20 at Northwestern, Nov. 27 vs. Indiana

Iowa

Record: 7-2, 4-2

Remaining games: Saturday vs. Gophers, Nov. 20 vs. Illinois, Nov. 26 at Nebraska

Breakdown: The Hawkeyes appeared to be College Football Playoff contenders after winning their first seven games, a run built on the strength of a plus-14 turnover margin. Reality, however, struck in losses to Purdue and Wisconsin by a combined 51-14. That puts Iowa in tiebreaker trouble with both those teams. Their path to Indy most likely would need a 3-0 finish, plus losses by the Badgers and Boilermakers.

Wisconsin

Remaining schedule: Saturday vs. Northwestern, Nov. 20 vs. Nebraska, Nov. 27 at Gophers

Breakdown: After a 1-3 start that included two Big Ten defeats to Penn State and Michigan and a nonconference loss to Notre Dame, the Badgers have won four consecutive conference games by a combined 131-23. They're looking like the West's most dangerous team right now, with a shut-down defense and an offense that's running over opponents and hiding its passing limitations. A 3-0 finish lands Wisconsin in Indy, and the Badgers still can get there with a 2-1 mark in a tiebreaker situation as long as they beat the Gophers.

Gophers

Record: 6-3, 4-2

Remaining schedule: Saturday at Iowa, Nov. 20 at Indiana, Nov. 27 vs. Wisconsin