By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
The Big Ten is far more straightforward than the first two conferences we visited (which this writer is not complaining about). The Big Ten final standings will all come down to one game this week. Before we get into that, let’s look at how each team can make the playoffs.
How to Make the Playoffs
The top three teams from each conference will automatically earn a playoff spot. After that, there will be a league-wide vote on who the last four teams should be. If there is a tie within the top three teams, the following tiebreakers will be used (in order) to break the tie.
| Order | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Conference Record |
| 2 | Head-to-Head |
| 3 | Record vs common conference opponents |
| 4 | Point differential vs common conference opponents |
| 5 | Record vs common overall opponents |
| 6 | Point differential vs common overall opponents |
| 7 | Overall record |
| 8 | Overall point differential |
Big Ten Standings
| Rank | Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1 | Michigan | 5-1 | 4-0 |
| 2 | Oregon | 4-2 | 4-2 |
| 3 | Penn State | 4-2 | 3-2 |
| 4 | USC | 4-2 | 3-2 |
| 5 | Illinois | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 0-6 | 0-5 |
Michigan became the first team in Season 20 to earn a conference title. No matter what happens in the next two games, Michigan will win the Big Ten Conference Championship, the automatic bid, and a top-four seed. Congrats Wolverines.
Oregon has already finished conference play for the season. They punched their ticket last week, now they just wait to find out their seeding. If Penn State beats USC, then Oregon will clinch second place in the conference. If USC wins, then Oregon will fall to third place. Either way, the Ducks will be in the playoffs.
For those keeping track at home, that is two playoff spots spoken for with two 4-2 teams left. This week Penn State will play USC. The winner will earn an automatic bid. The loser will start the vote-in campaign. Be sure to tune in for that on Monday night.
Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State have all already been eliminated from automatic bid contention. However, the vote-in is still in play. There is even a chance that Ohio State could sneak above USC in the rankings. If USC loses to Michigan and Ohio State beats both Michigan State and Michigan, then USC
