It will never happen, but here's what a B1G football tournament would look like

It’s the time of the year that everyone has been anticipating since the end of college football’s bowl season. It’s the time when underdogs do the unthinkable and favorites fall hard.

Yes, it’s March. Considered by most to be one of the top spectacles in all of sports. It’s a month when records can be thrown out the window and a national champion can hail from a tradition Power Five conference or the often-forgotten mid-majors. You make your own luck this time of year.

So that got us thinking, “what if March Madness took place on the field, too?”

In honor of conference tournament week on the hardwood, we developed our own B1G tournament — for football.

While it would take several weeks to complete – or a month – there’s no doubt it would be a highly-viewed event. After all, who doesn’t love more football?

So before we dive into the matchups, let’s talk about how this whole thing would work. Here’s the tournament setup:

The tournament consists of the B1G’s top 10 teams – Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers are eliminated.
Seeding is based on B1G regular season standings.
First round byes are awarded to the conference’s top four teams – Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin.
A double-bye (first round, quarterfinals) is awarded to the top team – Penn State.
Since this is unrealistic, let’s assume the sites for all games are neutral.
We’re also assuming everyone who played in 75 percent of the regular season is healthy.
Games would be played on consecutive Saturdays.

Got all that?

Good.

Based on how the season finished, here are the first round matchups:

No. 10 Maryland vs. No. 5 Iowa
No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 6 Nebraska
No. 8 Northwestern vs. No 7 Minnesota

And what we would see in the quarterfinals:

MD/Iowa winner vs. No. 4 Wisconsin
IU/NEB winner vs. No. 3 Michigan
NW/MN winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
No. 1 PSU – double-bye

You’ve probably got the idea now.

But before we start talking about the actual games, it wouldn’t quite be March Madness if we didn’t talk about some potential Cinderella stories, upset alerts, or overrated teams.

Indiana and Northwestern could be poised for longer-than-expected runs in this B1G tournament. Both teams had chances to pull upset bids during the regular season but fell short. The Hoosiers and Wildcats both had chances against Nebraska and Ohio State but couldn’t capitalize on that marquee win. Could it come in a tournament format?

Iowa was also rolling into the tournament hot, winning its final three games of the regular season. On the other end of the spectrum, the once-mighty Michigan stumbled through the last stretch of the season, dropping two of its final three contests. Keep an eye on the Hawkeyes and Wolverines, too.

Ok, we won’t go all Charles Barkley and keep breaking this tournament down. Here are the matchups – and the results – for the “what if” 2016 B1G football conference tournament:

First Round

No. 10 Maryland vs. No. 5 Iowa

The Hawkeyes finished the regular season with a dominating presence on the ground, averaging 230 yards per game in wins over Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska. That momentum carries over to the conference tournament, especially against Maryland, which ranked 11th against the run.

Winner: Iowa

No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 6 Nebraska

When the two teams squared off in the regular season, it was a pretty even matchup, with the Huskers taking the contest 27-22. The rematch would be close and the game would likely come down to which quarterback made fewer mistakes. In the end, Tommy Armstrong, Jr. is slightly more trustworthy than Richard Lagow and Nebraska survives, again.

Winner: Nebraska.

No. 8 Northwestern vs. No. 7 Minnesota

Another excellent rematch in the first round. Taking advantage of Northwestern’s missed opportunities, Minnesota won the regular season bout 29-12. But don’t expect the Wildcats to have those same troubles again. The Gophers have a stout defensive presence, but stopping Clayton Thorson, Austin Carr and Justin Jackson for a second time would be a pretty tall order.

Winner: Northwestern

Byes – Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin

Quarterfinals

No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 4 Wisconsin

If you could characterize B1G football in one game, it would be this one. A heavy emphasis on defense, offensive line play and the ground attack. Just like the regular season matchup, this would be a low scoring affair. The Badgers top-ranked rush defense would stifle Iowa’s offense, though, and Wisconsin would reach the end zone just enough to squeak past the Hawkeyes.

Winner: Wisconsin

No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Michigan

Michigan’s defense is too good and Nebraska’s offense is too inconsistent. Passing against the Wolverines would be nearly impossible against a defense that ranked first nationally in pass defense and also intercepted 13 passes. Turnovers would come too frequently for the Huskers and this one would get out of hand. Jim Harbaugh cruises to the semifinals.

Winner: Michigan

No. 8 Northwestern vs. No. 2 Ohio State

With a week to prepare, Urban Meyer is nearly unbeatable. Northwestern did give the Buckeyes a handful in the regular season, but Ohio State has too much talent on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats might keep it close for a half, but Ohio State is just too much for Pat Fitzgerald to pull off the upset.

Winner: Ohio State

Byes – Penn State

Semifinals

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Penn State

You remember the actual B1G Championship game, right? Not much else to really say here.

Winner: Penn State

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State

How much money would you be willing to pay to see this rematch? Easily the most entertaining game to this point. This would be another instant classic, filled with plenty of drama. But Ohio State still has the better offense and the Buckeyes would make just enough plays to get the job done. Plus, Meyer still hasn’t lost to Michigan, so it’s hard to bet against him.

Winner: Ohio State

Championship

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Penn State

For once and for all, we get to see who really deserved to get the invitation to the College Football Playoff.

Not many teams were playing with the same confidence Penn State was in the last part of the season, including the Buckeyes. But in a rematch situation – when the first game was decided by a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown – it’s hard to bet against Meyer and Ohio State.

This would’ve been a back-and-forth contest. Ohio State would’ve built an early first half lead only to have Penn State surge in the second half. But those critical late-game mistakes that cost the Buckeyes in Happy Valley wouldn’t appear a second time. If March Madness were just a few months earlier on the gridiron, the Buckeyes would be holding the B1G trophy.

Champion: Ohio State