Ring 'em up and sit 'em down. That's what the Buckeyes have done with their competition going as far back as last November. Even some of the conferences best like Wisconsin and Northwestern took a stab at Ohio State's shining armor only to be defeated at the hand of coach Urban Meyer's sword. The biggest test remaining for them the rest of the season won't come until the last week when they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the Wolverines. With a soft schedule in between, it's safe to assume the Buckeyes will be the last team standing. The question then becomes: what team will step up into the challenger role when the Big Ten title game takes place? Let's break down the three most likely teams and their chance, if any, at taking home the conference title.
Wisconsin Badgers 5-2 (3-1)
Sometimes teams learn more from a loss than they do from a win making their rematch with that team the second time around a game of chess, not checkers. With the Badgers playing the Buckeyes as close as they did for four quarters it was a huge moral victory for Wisconsin giving them the confidence to compete with them aggressively if they wind up in the title game together. Wisconsin lost a week five match up 31-24 and did so without having both their star running backs Melvin Gordon and James White eclipse the century mark. In fact, both of them combined for a sour 105 yards which is well below their average of nearly 300 yards per game.
Quarterback Joel Stave had one of his best statistical games of the season throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns, most of his yards went to his best receiver Jarred Abbrederis who caught 10 balls for 207 yards. It was Braxton Miller who was the x-factor though. Miller threw four touchdown passes as the Badgers couldn't figure out to stop him. Digging a little deeper, three of those touchdowns came off of play-action style passes (the most of his career), while he also had nine completions off a "run-fake" style of play.
If Gary Anderson were to get a rematch with the red and white there is no doubt he would plan day and night to find a way to slow down those boot leg and play action throws to limit Miller's success threw the air. Phase two of his second chance would be to find a way to implement Melvin Gordon and his running game in more effective and creative ways.
Remember, the Buckeyes aren't known for having a dominating front seven and can be exposed for their weaknesses if attacked correctly. Nonetheless with two losses already this year it seems the Badgers are the long shot on this list to make it to the conference championship game. What they do have though is a soft schedule remaining combined with a phenomenal running game and stout defense. A recipe for success as the games get cold in the Big Ten.
Michigan Wolverines 6-1 (2-1)
Although with just one loss on the resume (which came in a four-overtime game) the Wolverines have been a very streaky team this season. A large part of that has to do with their quarterback Devin Gardner who has looked like a Heisman candidate some games and a pop warner player with A.D.H.D in others. A quick flashback: After putting on a show for the ages against 22nd ranked Notre Dame in week two they followed that act up by squeaking by a team from Akron by the score of 28-24. Just a fluke they said. The following week they traveled to Connecticut to take on the Huskies, a team with zero relevance to the college football world, and held on to another very unconvincing win 24-21. Gardner was erratic in both those games turning the ball over inexplicably on numerous occasions. Gardner now has a 13 touchdown to 10 interception ration on top of plenty of fumbles. Theirs a give and take with him however, as he is the catalyst to an offense that ranks eighth in the country with 42.4 points per game thanks to Gardner's big play ability with his arm and feet.
The location of where the game is played has also effected Gardner's play, recently he has struggled vastly more on the road throwing four interceptions in his last two games than at home where he has thrown zero. This possible match up for the Big Ten title comes down to the last game of the regular season. A game in which the Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor on November 30th to keep what would be a 24 game winning streak alive. That game will tell us everything we've been dying to know like, "Is Michigan for real?" and "How good is Ohio State, really?" If the Wolverines can upset the Buckeyes on that night its almost a given that they will see each other the very next week in a rematch for the ages, for the trophy, and for the title.
Michigan State 7-1 (4-0)
If you were to walk into 10 Las Vegas sports book rooms right now I would be hard pressed to imagine the Spartans wouldn't be the favorite to play Ohio State in the Big Ten title game in at least nine of them. After a week four loss to Notre Dame, Michigan State has turned into one of the hottest teams in not just the conference, but the country.
Led by a nasty hard-nosed defense that wouldn't let their own grandma in if she was knocking, the Spartans give up just 12.3 points per game which is third best in the nation. Combine that with their ability to create turnovers and shut down pass defense they are the complete package and the best statistical defense in all the land. A problem for Michigan State their quarterback play, and now that has turned into a problem for opposing defenses.
A dart board of quarterbacks to start the season finally landed on Connor Cook, and it turned out to be a bullseye. Cook has 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year and has steadily progressed in every game he has played. With such a stingy defense, Cook has filled the role of "game managing" quarterback to a "T". Leader in the huddle, effective on third downs, and protecting the ball are what makes Cook a perfect balance to his teammates. If they can take care of the Wolverines at home this week, their soft schedule sets them up nicely to run the table if they continue playing the way they have making a trip to the Big Ten title game almost a certainty.
An Ohio State versus Michigan State game for the Big ten shouldn't come as a big surprise. The Spartans went 6-6 last year but had five losses by a combined 12 points as they eventually beat TCU 17-16 in their bowl game. You can imagine all five of those losses could have easily went the Spartans way with a play or two going in their favor. Chew on that while I tell you they had one of the best defenses as well last year with almost all their starters returning on that side of the ball.
The biggest loss for them was running back Le'Veon Bell who left for the NFL. Michigan State did struggle with out any sign of a running game early on but has now managed to crawl up 37th in the nation with 196 rushing yards per game. All this puts the chips in the Spartans favor come December and bodes well for them to not just play in the Big Ten championship game, but to be holding the trophy all the way back to campus.