As we head into the final week of the regular season in College Football, the competitive standings and landscape of the Big Ten come into focus. While continuing to dominate Ohio State and Oregon sit on top of the heap promising playoff action, Indiana’s top-of-class team faces a reality check with a brutal defeat of 23 points by Ohio State. Indiana is not giving up just yet though and is very well still in the contention to be in the College Football Playoff bracket, with their 10-1 team. Here is a breakdown of how the league stands and how it will shape going into the final weeks.
Just before going into week 12 of the season, Indiana stood tall at 10-0, and set to take on Ohio State going into the week. Yet the start of their first major test against one of the best teams in the league exposed their weaknesses, realizing that with all the depth, strength, quickness, and how physical the Buckeyes were, it was too much for Indiana to handle.
Indiana stays in the number 4 spot of the power rankings after the brutal loss to Ohio State. Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen said following the game, “It wasn’t our best showing, and we know that.” “But one loss doesn’t define our season. We’re still focused on what’s ahead.”
Indiana still has one more game on their schedule with an opponent that will give them a chance to rest their players and secure their spot in the College Football Playoff. The recovery will most likely determine if their season gets to continue beyond their conference championship game.
Ohio State not only controlled Indiana, demoralizing them, but they also successfully completed one of the hardest schedules in all of the Big Ten. Ohio State has 10 wins with only one loss to Oregon which is the top-ranked team in the whole of College Football. Mind, Ohio State only lost this game by one point. Ohio State will face the Oregon Ducks again in the postseason, but the Buckeyes meeting with the Michigan Wolverines for their last game could stumble them up. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said this after the game against Indiana, “Beating Indiana was important, but it’s only one step.” “The rivalry game with Michigan is always big, and we know what’s at stake this year.”
With an amazing 11-0 record, the Oregon Ducks lead in the Big Ten standings and have already gotten themselves a spot in the conference title game. They had a bye week, but they also had very good luck with the other certain teams that have lost to other playoff competitors across the country, therefore securing their spot as the No. 1 team in the nation. Other big teams in the Big Ten like Illinois and Penn State still continue to fight for a spot. Illinois scored a last-minute touchdown, which was a 40-yard pass, which propelled them to getting 9 overall wins on the season, which was the first time in 17 years for the Illinois Franchise. Penn State’s victory over Minnesota led them to a 10-1 record heading straight into the playoffs.
