Everything has built to this.

In a season that has seemingly flown by, the final weekend of regular-season games and the highest stakes of the year have arrived. And the Big Ten has one more fascinating slate of games on tap that will not only determine the final pecking order in the league but will also have significant ramifications nationally.

There’s also a decent feast on tap for Thursday. But get those Thanksgiving naps out of the way and gear up for Week 13 in the Big Ten.

Eastern Intrigue: The race has taken some unexpected turns, and a surprise contender joined in the mix, but it’s fitting that the top-heavy East Division wouldn’t be settled until the final weekend. Michigan State has rebounded from its shocking loss to Nebraska to claim the upper hand heading into Saturday’s home date with Penn State, and all it needs to do is win to clinch the title and head to Indianapolis to play for the conference championship. Both Ohio State and Michigan are still alive, though the preseason No. 1 and unexpected threat coached by Jim Harbaugh will need some help from the Nittany Lions.

The Stakes: The best rivalry in college football doesn’t usually take a backseat to anything, but The Game is now the undercard on the closing Saturday with Michigan State in control of the East and not kicking off until the Buckeyes and Wolverines are done. There are plenty of questions swirling around Urban Meyer’s club now after a horrific offensive performance in the home loss to Michigan State and some apparent locker-room discord with the play calling, but Ohio State remains technically alive in the College Football Playoff race and could conceivably find itself headed to a New Year’s Six bowl even if Penn State doesn’t lend a hand in East Lansing. Of course, bragging rights are also up for grabs as usual, and Harbaugh would surely love nothing more than to set the tone for his tenure by beating Meyer and the Buckeyes.

Best in the West: Iowa has already clinched the West Division and will be heading to Indianapolis having already far exceeded the preseason projections for the program. But a spot in the College Football Playoff field is now within reach as well, so it can’t afford to slip up on Friday on the road against a motivated, rested Nebraska squad. Kirk Ferentz has done a masterful job with the Hawkeyes this season, but this might mark his biggest test so far as he tries to keep the team focused during a short week with all eyes on a team nobody expected to potentially crash the playoff party.

Filling the dance card: There is a chance it won’t take the usual six wins to head to a bowl game, but the four teams within one victory of that threshold would certainly prefer not to risk it. Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana and Illinois all need to win on Saturday to ensure a postseason appearance, and with none of them matching up this week, all of those programs could conceivably punch a ticket without it coming at the expense of another Big Ten team. Kevin Wilson could use a victory to cool some talk about his job status with the Hoosiers, and the Gophers would obviously love to claim a rivalry win, but dangling bowl eligibility in front of the players will be a relatively common motivator around the league this week.

Playing out the string: There’s nothing on the line at High Points Solutions Stadium, and there might not even be any drama left regarding Kyle Flood's future at Rutgers. But if the Scarlet Knights have any hope of becoming a five-win, bowl-bound team or helping Flood save his job, knocking off a Maryland team that has already fired its coach this season is a must. Those aren’t quite the kind of stakes that can be found elsewhere in the Big Ten this weekend, but either way the outcome on Saturday could help shape the league in some small way down the road.