Wisconsin, Michigan State Or Ohio State: Who Will Prevail As Big Ten Champions?
The Big Ten college football conference is one of the best in the country. It only makes sense that it will take the last week of college football to decide what team will win the Big Ten Championship.
Entering the final week of play, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin are all tied atop the Big Ten with a 6-1 record. The games this week will decide who will be the champion, but the tiebreaking system is not that clear cut.
Before getting into the scenarios and the games this week, let me interject with my own personal sentiment on this tiebreaker. An unperfected system like the BCS standings should never play a role in deciding a conference champion.
If there is a three-way tie, the Big Ten champion will be whatever team is ranked the highest in the BCS Standings.
Now that I got that out of the way, let’s get onto the games.
Northwestern at Wisconsin
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The Badgers are the No. 7 ranked team in the BCS standings and are at home for the season finale as they host the Northwestern Wildcats. The Badgers are listed as 23-point favorites over Northwestern, as this game is not expected to be close.
The Badgers need to win to get the Big Ten title and hope that Ohio State prevails. The Badgers lost earlier in the season to the Spartans, and if Ohio State loses, the tiebreaker will go towards the Spartans.
The Badgers are not going to look past a Northwestern team that gave them fits a year ago. The Badgers are physical and do not make many mistakes in a football game. Head coach head coach Bret Bielema is well aware how well the Wildcats can play and has his team focused.
"I know where the media attention is," Bielema said. "Our focus in our house and in our room is on Northwestern and the details about winning that game."
If the Badgers and Buckeyes win, the edge goes to the Badgers since they beat Ohio State. The Badgers play the early game, and they will be sure to watch how the other games unfold.
Michigan at Ohio State
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These teams never need a reason to get excited for one of the most heated rivalries in all of college football. This game, however, is extra special to both teams.
Ohio State needs to beat Michigan and put up some style points as they do it. Ohio State is No. 8 in the BCS Standings, and if there is a three-way tie at the end of the season, the Buckeyes would have to hold a higher position in the standings. Although that is highly unlikely, Ohio State would not mind taking it to its rival.
The Buckeyes are listed as 17.5-point favorites.
Michigan is bowl eligible already at 7-4, but a loss likely puts the Wolverines in the Insight.com Bowl, Little Caesar's Bowl or Texas Bowl. Jim Tressel and Ohio State have dominated this series, and a win would go a long way for the Wolverines.
It would stop any questions about getting rid of Rich Rodriguez for now, and it could put Denard Robinson back into the Heisman talk. This is an early kickoff, so Michigan State will know where it stands when it kicks off.
Michigan State at Penn State
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The task at hand seems to be much harder for Michigan State this week, as the Spartans are the only team at the top of the Big ten to play on the road. This weekend the Spartans will travel to Happy Valley to take on Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions. This game should be close, and the Spartans favored by just two points.
Michigan State has had a great season, and it is very difficult to see it come down to what team ranks the highest in the BCS Standings.
Michigan State has to worry about itself before worrying about anyone else. Penn State is not the same team it has been in the past, but it is still a very dangerous opponent. Michigan State struggled against Purdue, and if not careful could lose to Penn State.
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Predictions
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The Badgers will wax the Wildcats. The Badgers have revenge and are playing for style points to stay on top of Ohio State in the BCS. Badgers will win and cover the 23 points with a predicted final of 55-17.
Ohio State will beat Michigan, but it will be closer than most people think. The Buckeyes may be the better team, but in a rivalry game anything can happen. I don’t see the upset here, but I would take Michigan (+17.5).
Michigan State will get beat at Penn State. It is Senior Day in Penn State, and the Lions realize the MSU game will go a long way in determining where they bowl. The Lions would love nothing more than to play spoiler in this game.
When Ohio State wins, the Spartans will know that they don’t have a chance at the title. Take Penn State plus the two points.
2010 Big Ten Conference Champion: Wisconsin Badgers
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.
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.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
