5 juiciest storylines in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game

Just because longtime participant Ohio State is a two-touchdown favorite against first-time participant Northwestern in Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship Game doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of good storylines. There’s a whole lot to discuss, and plenty to look forward to.

Here are the five juiciest storylines heading into the title game in Indianapolis:

1. Despite Michigan win, Ohio State isn’t that good

After dismantling Michigan 62-39 last Saturday, everybody is back on the Ohio State and Urban Meyer bandwagon again, singing their praises. But what if that was just an outlier? Isn’t what they showed us the previous month more important than one game? Look, prior to last Saturday, Ohio State was downright terrible. They lost to a six-loss Purdue team by 29 points. They barely beat a seven-loss Nebraska team at home and nearly lost in overtime to seven-loss Maryland. There are still plenty of issues with this team — especially on defense — and we haven’t forgotten. Will those issue reappear on Saturday night?

2. Or, they might win 60-0, considering their past

This is true, too. Ohio State is 11-1, but it is still on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff  race. The Buckeyes were in this exact same situation in 2014, and all they did was go out and beat a pretty decent Wisconsin team 59-0, impressing the Playoff selection committee enough to jump two teams and make it in. And then they went on to win the national title. Under the gun, they could put on a similar performance Saturday. At least that’s the scenario OSU fans are hoping for.

3. Dwayne Haskins will break more Big Ten records

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins has thrown for 4,081 yards and a whopping 42 touchdowns this year, shattering a bunch of Big Ten records in the process. He’s not done yet, either, that’s for sure. Look for him to have another huge night Saturday against a Northwestern defense that hasn’t seen a collection of speed receivers like this all year.  “I’m not done yet. But I want to be (viewed) as one of the best to ever do it at this university,” he said. There’s no doubt about that.

4. Clayton Thorson threatens school passing record

Northwestern has a pretty good quarterback of its own in Clayton Thorson. The senior is starting his 52nd career game with the Wildcats, and he’s thrown for more than 10,000 yards. He’s second all-time in school history, and needs 357 yards to catch all-time leader Brett Basanez (10,580 yards). That’s probably asking too much on Saturday night, but the Ohio State secondary can be torched. It’s going to be interesting to see how big of a night he can have.

5. Ohio State wins, but misses playoffs anyway

Ohio State is sixth in the playoff pecking order right now, and only four get in. It’s very likely that Ohio State can win Saturday night — and win big — and still not get in for the second year in a row despite being Big Ten champions. They might cry and cry about it after posting a 12-1 record and wining another conference championship, but they have only themselves to blame. (See Section 1). Their one loss was far worse than Oklahoma’s, and their defense is close to being just as bad. Outside looking in again? Now that’s juicy.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.