What Has to Happen for Penn State Football to Still Make Big Ten Championship Game
Penn State Football hit the double-digit win mark for the third straight season Saturday, defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 26-25.
Now sitting at 10-1, Penn State is all but a lock for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, however, the Nittany Lions are still alive in the Big Ten championship conversation, as well.
Here’s how the Nittany Lions could wind up in Indianapolis to face the Oregon Ducks for the Big Ten championship in December.
Penn State Football’s Unlikely Big Ten Championship Game Path
Ohio State Loss to Michigan
The first step of the scenario is the hardest for Penn State, and is entirely out of the Nittany Lions’ control.
That’s because Ohio State owns the tiebreaker against the Nittany Lions because of the November 5 head-to-head win, Penn State would need Ohio State to lose Saturday to Michigan in order to have a shot at playing for the Big Ten championship.
As a 23.5-point favorite, Ohio State is the overwhelming favorite to hold the second spot in the Big Ten championship opposite Oregon, but crazier things have happened.
For the past three years, Michigan has beaten the Buckeyes, but this is a shell of the scandal ridden team of the end of the Harbaugh era. If Michigan is able to pull off a miracle, Penn State has a shot to get into the next tiebreaker.
Penn State Wins against Maryland
This is a no-brainer. Penn State Football has to beat Maryland to stay alive in both the Big Ten championship hunt as well as the College Football Playoff hunt. Penn State opened a 24.5-point favorite over a reeling four-win Maryland team just looking to get to the offseason.
Indiana wins or loses
In any scenario where Penn State beats Maryland and Ohio State loses to Michigan, Penn State would hold the tiebreaker over Indiana.
The tiebreaker would go down to the commutative record of conference opponents tiebreaker, because Penn State and Indiana have the same record against common opponents. Penn State wins that tiebreaker over Indiana this season and would face the Oregon Ducks with an Ohio State loss.
While unlikely, Penn State Football could once again find itself backdooring a way into the Big Ten championship, just like they did in 2016. In 2016, the inverse of what the Nittany Lions need this year transpired, with Ohio State beating Michigan to send the Nittany Lions to Indianapolis.
This year, the Nittany Lions will hope that once again chaos in “the Game” can help them once again return to the Big Ten championship.
MORE: Penn State’s MVP, Game Balls From Escape vs. Minnesota
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Penn State Football Reporter at NittanyCentral
Robert Shields covers Penn State Football for Nittany Central. As a Penn State graduate, Robert has covered Penn State football since 2019, but had been a fan of the Nittany Lions for well over a decade. During his undergraduate education, Robert was a manager in the athletic department of a division III school, working in various aspects of athletic management at football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse games.
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