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Not every conference champion is explicitly de facto. Upsets happen, alignments can be unfavorable, and schedules rarely are fair. Las Vegas currently holds the Ohio State Buckeyes as the at-large favorite to win the Big Ten, but as the conference season progresses, remaining end-to-end favorites will become nearly Herculean for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes must deal with a quarterback controversy early, and they’ll have to deal with the pressure of being the No. 1 targeted team throughout.
Their Big Ten schedule starts innocuously enough at the Indiana Hoosiers and at home against the Maryland Terrapins, but it’s how their schedule ends that may determine their season. The Buckeyes will finish their season on a four-game gauntlet with no byes in between and no room for reprieve. On November 7, they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers, then travel to the Illinois Fighting Illini, and then must face their best two opponents back-to-back.
Within seven days, Ohio State will take on the Michigan State Spartans at the Horseshoe and then their bitter rival, the Michigan Wolverines, in Ann Arbor.
Out West, the Wisconsin Badgers will deal with another laughable conference docket. The Badgers will play on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and that’s about the extent of difficulty. You could consider their final game in Minnesota a test, but with the potential of one game keeping them from atoning for 2014’s Big Ten Championship cleat-stomping, Wisconsin will be up for it — not to mention that they should have a two-game lead in the Big Ten West by then anyway.
That leads us to Vegas’ No. 2: Michigan State. The Spartans will ease into their Big Ten schedule hosting the Purdue Boilermakers and traveling to play the up-and-coming Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Sparty has tough road contests at Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State, but each game has heightened incentive.
Michigan is a rivalry, Ohio State embarrassed MSU in their house on national television last year, and Nebraska made MSU look as if they took a quarter off. None of that will fly under Mark Dantonio’s roof. Additionally, it’s okay for Michigan State to lose a conference game because Ohio State could easily lose two; an upset early plus a loss in the Michigan gauntlet, and the Buckeyes could forfeit their trip to Indianapolis.
This may not be how it plays out, but with college football, the possibilities are endless. I’m not saying it’ll be Michigan State vs. Wisconsin in a 2011 Big Ten Championship rematch, I’m telling you that the Buckeyes are not a favorable conference favorite in 2015.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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