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What Ohio State's loss to Michigan means for Oregon's opponent in Big Ten title game

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship weeks ago. However, their opponent in the conference title game has been up in the air.

By Sam Fariss

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium.
Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
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The No. 1 Oregon Ducks are going to the Big Ten Championship game to cap off their incredible first season as a part of the perennial football conference. Who the Ducks will face in the conference title game has been a toss-up over the past few weeks.

However, in one of the biggest games of every season, the Ohio State Buckeyes faced the Michigan Wolverines. A win and the Buckeyes would head to the Big Ten Championship. A loss and Ohio State's fate would hang in the balance of Penn State's game against Maryland.

In a close game, one that came down to the last few moments, the Ohio State offense simply couldn't make it work. Just like that, the Buckeyes lost to the unranked, 6-5 Wolverines and their shot at the conference title game was suddenly at risk.

With two conference losses (Oregon and Michigan), the Buckeyes fell to a third-place spot in the conference standings, behind only Oregon (zero conference losses) and Penn State (one conference loss to Ohio State). So, if the Nittany Lions won later that day, the Buckeyes would be out of the Big Ten Championship game and Penn State would punch its ticket to play Oregon for the title.

Another option? The Nittany Lions could surprisingly lose to the Maryland Terrapins Ducks could face the Indiana Hoosiers if they defeat the Purdue Boilermakers to improve to 11-1 (only one conference loss to Ohio State).

Oregon and Penn State did not play in the regular season so the Ducks have yet to see head coach James Franklin or quarterback Drew Allar in person. However, the odds of Oregon pulling off another win over the Buckeyes had rapidly dropped throughout the end of the regular season so playing against the Nittany Lions may be the best option for Dan Lanning and his squad.

The Ducks also did not see the Hoosiers during their regular season so it would be yet another brand-new opponent for Lanning and Oregon.

Penn State and Maryland are scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT on the Big Ten Network. Oregon and Washington are scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC.

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