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Ohio State AD says he’s ‘very confident’ Buckeyes will play B1G Championship Game as scheduled
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The B1G has already had to cancel three Champions Week games but Ohio State AD Gene Smith is ‘very confident’ the B1G Championship Game will be played on Saturday.
Smith told The Dispatch’s Bill Rabinowitz that Ohio State is headed to Indianapolis for the showdown against Northwestern.
I see there’s speculation and rumors about the Big Ten championship game. I talked with @OSU_AD Gene Smith this morning. This is what he told me: “I’m very confident we’re going to play. We’re going to be in Indy on Saturday.” The team’s flight is at 5:30 p.m. 1/
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) December 18, 2020
Currently, Ohio State is in the final position for the College Football Playoff. In order to solidify its resume, it’s essential that Ohio State is able to participate in and win the B1G Championship Game.
The B1G slate will be without three games (Purdue at No. 11 Indiana, Michigan at No. 16 Iowa, Michigan State at Maryland) due to COVID-19 concerns.
Ohio State (5-0) has had three games cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns but the B1G changed its rules to allow them into the conference championship game. Ohio State has won the conference championship game the last three seasons and has captured the B1G title 38 times overall.
Northwestern captured the West division with a 6-1 record after finishing in last place in 2019. Northwestern is looking for its first outright B1G title since 1995. Northwestern earned co-B1G titles in 1996 and 2005.
If the contest ends up being played, this will be a rematch of the 2018 B1G title game in which Ohio State defeated Northwestern 45-24.
Rolando Rosa brings his experience covering college football to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @RolandoRosa3.