Big Ten Football Championship Scenarios And Tiebreakers Explained

No. 1 Ohio State versus No. 2 Indiana has been the most likely matchup for some time, but Oregon and Michigan still have a chance to reach the Big Ten championship.

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day (right) and Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti (left) meet at midfield before the game at Ohio Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

For Indiana, it's quite simple. The Hoosiers can punch their ticket to the Big Ten championship game with a win Friday at Purdue, which would also likely mean a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

But approaching the final week of the regular season, there's still a recipe for chaos in the Big Ten. Seven possible scenarios remain for deciding the conference championship matchup, with Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan still alive. First, here's an overview of the six tiebreakers, per the Big Ten.

1. Head-to-head matchups during the regular season.
2. Record against all common conference opponents.
3. Record against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings.
4. Best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.
5. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season.
6. Chosen by random draw among the tied teams conducted by the Commissioner or designee.

And with one game left for each team, here's a look at each scenario for the Big Ten championship, which is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Scenario 1: Indiana (9-0) vs. Ohio State (9-0)

Week 14 results: Indiana defeats Purdue. Ohio State defeats Michigan.

Indiana and Ohio State are the Big Ten's lone undefeated teams at 9-0 in conference play.

Scenario 2: Indiana (9-0) vs. Oregon (8-1)

Week 14 results: Indiana defeats Purdue. Michigan defeats Ohio State. Oregon defeats Washington.

Records: Indiana 9-0; Oregon 8-1; Michigan 8-1; Ohio State 8-1.

Tiebreaker 1: No head-to-head among three tied teams.

Tiebreaker 2: 2-0 vs. common opponents (Washington and Wisconsin)

Tiebreaker 3: N/A

Tiebreaker 4: Oregon has best overall record of conference opponents among tied teams.

Scenario 3: Indiana (9-0) vs. Michigan (8-1)

Week 14 results: Indiana defeats Purdue. Michigan defeats Ohio State. Washington defeats Oregon.

Records: Indiana 9-0; Michigan 8-1; Ohio State 8-1; Oregon 7-2

Tiebreaker 1: Michigan defeated Ohio State head-to-head.

Scenario 4: Ohio State (9-0) vs. Indiana (8-1)

Week 14 results: Ohio State defeats Michigan. Purdue defeats Indiana. Oregon defeats Washington.

Records: Ohio State 9-0; Indiana 8-1; Oregon 8-1; Michigan 7-2

Tiebreaker 1: Indiana defeated Oregon head-to-head.

Scenario 5: Oregon (8-1) vs. Michigan (8-1)

Week 14 results: Purdue defeats Indiana. Michigan defeats Ohio State. Oregon defeats Washington.

Records: All teams 8-1.

Tiebreaker 1: No head-to-head among tied teams

Tiebreaker 2: 1-0 vs. common opponent (Wisconsin)

Tiebreaker 3: N/A

Tiebreaker 4: Oregon has best overall record of conference opponents among tied teams.

To determine Oregon's opponent, proceed to three-way tiebreaker between Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana.

Tiebreaker 1: No head-to-head

Tiebreaker 2: Ohio State and Michigan 2-0 vs. common opponents. Indiana 1-1 (Purdue and Wisconsin).

Indiana removed from tiebreaker. Revert to two-way tiebreaker between Ohio State and Michigan.

Tiebreaker 1: Michigan defeated Ohio State head-to-head.

Scenario 6: Michigan (8-1) vs. Ohio State (8-1)

Week 14 results: Purdue defeats Indiana. Michigan defeats Ohio State. Washington defeats Oregon.

Records: Indiana 8-1; Ohio State 8-1; Michigan 8-1; Oregon 7-2

Tiebreaker 1: No head-to-head

Tiebreaker 2: Ohio State and Michigan 2-0 vs. common opponents. Indiana 1-1 (Purdue and Wisconsin).

Scenario 7: Ohio State (9-0) vs. Indiana (8-1)

Week 14 results: Purdue defeats Indiana. Ohio State defeats Michigan. Washington defeats Oregon.

Records: Ohio State 9-0; Indiana 8-1; Michigan 7-2; Oregon 7-2

Ohio State and Indiana clinch berths with two best conference records.

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