Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
A wild Saturday in the Big Ten has made the league title race pretty clear cut heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Although four teams could end up sharing the Big Ten championship, only Ohio State and Iowa can win the league's automatic BCS bowl berth, which will almost certainly result in a Rose Bowl appearance against a Pac-10 foe. Both the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes have beaten Penn State and Wisconsin -- the other two teams in contention -- so the winner of this week's game at Ohio Stadium (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET) can more or less punch its ticket to Pasadena.
A four-way tie atop the conference would take place if Ohio State beats Iowa but loses to Michigan, Iowa follows with a win against Minnesota and both Penn State and Wisconsin win their remaining two league games. There could also be a three-way tie for first place if Iowa beats Ohio State but loses to Minnesota, while Ohio State beats Michigan and both Penn State and Wisconsin win the next two weeks.
The Big Ten hasn't had more than two teams tie for the championship since 2000, when Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan all finished at 6-2. There also was a three-way tie in 1998, when Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan finished at 7-1. The league hasn't seen a four-way tie since 1990, when Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa all finished at 6-2.
The Big Ten's other seven teams all have three or more conference losses, eliminating them from the title race because either Ohio State or Iowa will finish with no more than two defeats in league play.
A wild Saturday in the Big Ten has made the league title race pretty clear cut heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Although four teams could end up sharing the Big Ten championship, only Ohio State and Iowa can win the league's automatic BCS bowl berth, which will almost certainly result in a Rose Bowl appearance against a Pac-10 foe. Both the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes have beaten Penn State and Wisconsin -- the other two teams in contention -- so the winner of this week's game at Ohio Stadium (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET) can more or less punch its ticket to Pasadena.
A four-way tie atop the conference would take place if Ohio State beats Iowa but loses to Michigan, Iowa follows with a win against Minnesota and both Penn State and Wisconsin win their remaining two league games. There could also be a three-way tie for first place if Iowa beats Ohio State but loses to Minnesota, while Ohio State beats Michigan and both Penn State and Wisconsin win the next two weeks.
The Big Ten hasn't had more than two teams tie for the championship since 2000, when Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan all finished at 6-2. There also was a three-way tie in 1998, when Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan finished at 7-1. The league hasn't seen a four-way tie since 1990, when Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa all finished at 6-2.
The Big Ten's other seven teams all have three or more conference losses, eliminating them from the title race because either Ohio State or Iowa will finish with no more than two defeats in league play.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rittenberg
Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
BIG TEN SCOREBOARD
Friday, 11/27
12:00 PM ET Illinois 5 Cincinnati
