Big Ten football: Possible 3-way tie looming in the East

It has been an exciting year for Big Ten football.

The usual players in the East — Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan — are all nationally ranked and playing some good football right now. In the West, we see a possible changing of the guard as both Wisconsin and Iowa are having a down year, while Illinois and Purdue are playing well.

Seven games in, the Big Ten football favorite is undecided

The Big Ten East is more interesting than the west right now, mostly due to its superstar potential. Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State are the three best teams in the Big Ten, and there is little arguing that. On top of that, the West seems somewhat decided right now, and although things can still drastically change, Illinois seems to be the favorite.

Michigan and Ohio State both sit at 7-0 right now and are major players in the College Football Playoff discussion. The Wolverines are ranked No. 4 in the nation heading into its matchup with rival Michigan State, and the Buckeyes are ranked at No. 2 heading into Penn State. If both win their remaining games heading into “The Game,” we will be in for an exciting 11-0 vs. 11-0 matchup on November 27th.

That being said, Penn State is not down and out just yet. The Nittany Lions’ loss to Michigan was ugly (41-17) but there is a chance that it was just an off-game for Penn State. After all, the Lions came out the following week and gave Minnesota — a solid team with a good defense — a total beat down.

No. 13 Penn State (6-1) will face No. 2 Ohio State (7-0) in Beaver Stadium this weekend. The game is at noon, although the Nittany Lions have designated this game to be the “Stripe Out” game, meaning the environment should be tough. If Penn State can pull off an upset similar to 2016, the Big Ten Championship game picture could get very interesting.

How could we get a three-way tie?

If Penn State beats Ohio State this weekend, Big Ten football will be very exciting heading into the final game of the year. Here is how we could get a three-way tie for the Big Ten East title:

• Penn State beats Ohio State this weekend
• Ohio State beats Michigan on November 27th
• Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State all win out and finish 11-1

If all three Big Ten East giants finish 11-1 this year with mutual wins over one another (Michigan over Penn State, Penn State over Ohio State, Ohio State over Michigan) a three-way tie will be instated, and per the Big Ten rule book, we could be in for an interesting decision process.

Who would go to the title game?

If all three are tied in overall record, tied in Big Ten record, and tied in division record (which they will be), we will see an odd tiebreaker. The team with the best Big Ten West opponent record (conference games only) will go to the title game.

"“The records of the three (or more) teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of non-divisional opponents.” – Big Ten official statement on divisional tie breakers."

If this is to happen, it will likely favor the Michigan Wolverines. This is largely due to both Ohio State and Penn State playing Northwestern, who has an abysmal conference and overall record right now. Here are how the three teams’ non-divisional opponents stack up.

Penn State’s Big Ten West opponents

• Minnesota — 4-3 overall, 1-3 Big Ten
• Northwestern — 1-6 overall, 1-3 Big Ten
• Purdue — 5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Ten

Ohio State’s Big Ten West opponents

• Northwestern — 1-6 overall, 1-3 Big Ten
• Wisconsin — 4-4 overall, 2-3 Big Ten
• Iowa — 3-4 overall, 1-3 Big Ten

Michigan’s Big Ten West opponents

• Iowa — 3-4 overall, 1-3 Big Ten
• Nebraska — 3-4 overall, 2-2 Big Ten
• Illinois — 6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten

Michigan football currently has the best non-divisional schedule of the three teams contending in the East. If everything plays out the way it is predicted (which never happens), the Wolverines should win the tie-breaker. Even if they don’t, Michigan’s three teams seem to be on a better path than the opposition’s for one main reason: Illinois is better than Northwestern by a lot.

Both Ohio State and Penn State have Northwestern on their schedules. Penn State also has Minnesota (who has lost three straight conference games) and Purdue (just lost to an abysmal Wisconsin squad). Ohio State has Iowa (bad), Northwestern (super bad), and Wisconsin (also bad). Michigan plays Iowa and Nebraska, who are both bad, but also Illinois who appears to be the best team in the West right now.

Big Ten football is always fun, but this year it could get very interesting down the stretch. If Penn State upsets Ohio State this weekend, we will all need to follow the Big Ten West a lot closer.