The Big Ten Championship Game matchup has been set, but it’s not what many expected it to be.
Rather than the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes rematching in Indianapolis, it will be Dan Lanning vs. James Franklin and the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions, playing for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
The game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, December 7, kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.
Oregon and Penn State have not played each other yet this year, and have not met on the field since the 1995 Rose Bowl.
Depending on where Penn State moves to in the CFP rankings this week after their win over Maryland, and Ohio State’s loss to the Michigan Wolverines, we will see where each potential winner of this game would be seeded. A win for Oregon would undoubtedly secure them the No. 1 seed in the playoff, while a win for Penn State would likely net them the No. 2 seed.
If Oregon were to lose, they would drop to the No. 5 seed, most likely.
The No. 1 seed will get a first-round bye in the playoff before facing the winner of the 8 vs. 9 game. Meanwhile, the No. 5 seed will face the No. 12 seed in the first round.
