Michigan Football: Championship Week Rooting Guide

Big Ten: Wisconsin over Penn State

This one might be a little bit counter intuitive, but it probably benefits Michigan more if the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship game (Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on FOX).

Wisconsin is ranked higher at the moment — one spot below Michigan at No. 6 compared to Penn State at No. 7 — and Michigan’s head-to-head win over Penn State is more impressive than their win over Wisconsin — 39 points compared to seven points — but other factors conspire to make Michigan a more difficult selection if Penn State were to win.

First, the Nittany Lions beat Ohio State. That’s a super quality win against a team already in the final four field which is something Michigan can’t match. They also beat Iowa which gives them two favorable common opponents to help combat the Wolverines’ head-to-head win. That, combined with the conference championship and the fact that they won Michigan’s division, could elevate Penn State over the Wolverines in the committee’s eyes.

If Wisconsin wins the committee could attempt to justify taking Michigan by arguing that the Badgers earned the trip to the Big Ten Championship Game by winning the much weaker Big Ten West division. They could also point to Michigan’s aforementioned head-to-head win and better overall resume as evidence of the Wolverines being a superior team (Michigan’s win over Colorado looks better than Wisconsin’s win over LSU, especially if Colorado wins the Pac-12).