Who will join Indiana in Big Ten championship? Updated scenarios

Penn State was supposed to be one of the leading contenders for the Big Ten championship this season. Obviously, with a six-game losing streak and an in-season coaching change, those expectations were not met. A year after playing Oregon for the Big Ten championship en route to a trip to the College Football Playoff, Penn State is merely playing for bowl eligibility on the final day of the Big Ten's regular season. Penn State will battle Rutgers in a winner-goes-bowling matchup to determine the final Big Ten team that will be bowl eligible this year.

Meanwhile, there will still be a Big Ten champion to crown next week in Indianapolis. And the Indiana Hoosiers will be there.

Indiana put the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season, a clean 12-0 record that was highlighted in part by a thrilling road victory in Happy Valley a few weeks ago, with a Friday night dismantling of in-state rival Purdue. Heisman Trophy candidate Fernando Mendoza passed for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the win as Indiana wasted Purdue 56-3 (Indiana beat Purdue 66-0 last year) to officially clinch its spot in next week's Big Ten championship game. All that is left to determine is Indiana's opponent.

Three teams remain in the hunt -- Ohio State, Michigan, and Orgeon -- and two of them will face each other in the Big Ten's game of the week. No. 1 Ohio State has the least complicated path to the Big Ten title game (not necessarily the easiest). If Ohio State snaps its losing streak to rival Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon, then the Buckeyes will head to the Big Ten championship game with a 12-0 record, setting the stage for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 Big Ten title game with the Hoosiers (Ohio State and Indianadid not play each other this year but Ohio State did beat the Hoosiers last season in the regular season).

If Michigan manages to hand the Buckeyes a loss, then Michigan will have to sit and wait to see the result of Saturday's Oregon vs. Washington game. In this scenario, Michigan will be pulling for Washington to hand Orgeon a loss. An Oregon victory would send the Ducks back to Indianapolis for its second striaght Big Ten championship game appearance, and a rematch with Indiana. Oregon's only loss this season came against Indiana.

Big Ten title game possibilities

• Indiana vs. Ohio State - Indiana is in, Ohio State is in with a win vs. Michigan
• Indiana vs. Oregon - Indiana is in, Oregon is in with a win vs. Washington AND an Ohio State loss to Michigan
• Indiana vs. Michigan - Indiana is in, Michigan is in with win vs. Ohio State AND Oregon loss to Washington

Big Ten Bowl Eligible Teams

• Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington

The Big Ten currently has 11 of its 18 schools eligible for postseason play this year. Indiana and Ohio State appear to be locks for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and Oregon and Michigan are hoping to join them.

The Big Ten is guaranteed to have 12 eligible teams for the bowl season, however, as the winner of the Penn State vs. Rutgers game in New Jersey will become bowl-eligible for this season.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Indiana clinches Big Ten title spot, but who will join them?