The 2020 Big Ten Championship Game matchup is official.

It will be Ohio State vs. Northwestern for the Big Ten crown on Dec. 19.

The conference declared Ohio State champions of the Big Ten East on Wednesday afternoon after Big Ten power brokers voted to repeal the six-game minimum requirement to win a division championship.

The Buckeyes are 5-0 and have been dominant throughout the year. Their closest win came in a 42-35 victory over Indiana in which the Buckeyes were up by 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Ohio sports betting apps are officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Go pre-register now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Quarterback Justin Fields is a Heisman Trophy candidate, although he likely won’t have enough games to receive serious consideration. His rate stats are elite (78 percent completion percentage and a 196.1 QB efficiency rating) but he won’t have the volume to stack up to the competition.

Over in the Big Ten West, Northwestern is back in the title game for the second time in three years. The Wildcats stormed out to a 5-0 record to start the season but fell in upset fashion last week against Michigan State.

Northwestern’s defense has been elite all season, holding most opponents well below their season averages. The Wildcats have impressive victories over Maryland, Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Northwestern does play this weekend against Illinois, while Ohio State will be off in Week 8 barring a last-minute schedule change.

These two teams met in this game in 2018, with Ohio State winning 45-24.

In that game, OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw for 499 yards and five touchdown passes. Northwestern was able to move the ball on the ground to the tune of 6.3 yards per rush, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has won eight consecutive matchups against Northwestern. The Wildcats’ last victory in this series came in 2004 — a 33-27 win in Evanston. Northwestern hasn’t defeated Ohio State away from Evanston since 1971.