Jim Delany is not a smoker, but no one would blame the Big Ten commissioner if he lighted a cigar at 8:17 p.m. ET Saturday in Indianapolis.
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It appears as though the Big Ten Championship Game will serve as a College Football Playoff eliminator. Iowa has made a season out of controlling the tempo by establishing the run, rushing for an average of 203.7 yards per game, and their 35 rushing touchdowns is tied for first in the Big Ten. Michigan State lost to Wisconsin in the inaugural game in 2011 before beating Ohio State in 2013 on its way to the Rose Bowl.
There will be no result from above that will affect Oklahoma (11-1), which has finished its regular season since the Big 12 does not hold a conference championship game.
But he did make one thing clear – MSU will always be the underdog in college football.
“The champion of this conference gets a bid to go to the playoff”, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook said Monday.
“I think Arjen Colquhoun is playing very, very well”, Dantonio said.
“Connor has played on a big stage and he has succeeded on big stages really form his sophomore year on up”.
Prediction Michigan State will end the dream.
The News 8 Sports team will be live in Indianapolis, covering the Hawkeyes’ run for the Big 10 title, starting Friday, December 4.
Michigan State is 3-9 against the number in its past 12 games against Iowa. Since taking over last season, he’s 13-0 – the first Iowa quarterback to achieve the feat. Maryland won only one Big Ten game this season, and Ohio State was criticized for not trying harder to exploit Michigan State’s vulnerability to the deep pass. It was also raining when the Spartans beat the Buckeyes.
Can Cook solve Iowa’s stellar secondary? The Hawkeyes have snatched 17 interceptions and have been opportunistic when opposing quarterbacks make bad decisions.
MSU is third in the Big Ten in scoring offense, while the Hawkeyes are second.
The Spartans have had opportunities in the past to win a huge game like this and bring their program to the next level that it has sorely lacked for generations, but have failed in the majority of these big games. Dantonio reiterated the need for the Spartans to “keep the lion in the cage” until game time. The Hawkeyes are the better team.
“It’s a statement for college football in this conference”, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said.
“As we told our players all season long if everybody can pull together and do things together you just never know what can happen and I think that has been the story of our season”, said Ferentz. So far, he’s thrown only three interceptions on 303 pass attempts this year. There’s also the “Taps and Touchdowns” event at Pan Am Plaza. Junior QB C.J. Beathard and his blocking group will be facing their toughest challenge of the season. Although he has sustained injuries, Beathard has not missed a game this season. “Our goals all along have been to get to the playoffs and compete for a national championship”.
Both teams have capable kickers.
Welsh, a native of Springboro, Ohio (Springboro HS), earned Freshman All-Big Ten recognition a year ago.
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The Hawkeyes got a crash course in the Spartans’ defensive scheme September 19 in a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh.
