Let the Race Begin

The Big Ten football chase became even crazier this past weekend. Not only did the Spartans go down, but surprisingly the Spartans went down hard.

A 37-6 loss to the Hawkeyes on Saturday has opened up the Big Ten race. Once the sole leaders of the Big Ten the Spartans have now fallen into a four way tie. Opening door for the Badgers to have a real shot at the Rose Bowl.

The tie-breaker situation is up in the air with the tie as well. But a four way tie is impossible for the conference championship with Iowa and Ohio State to meet in Iowa City in the coming weeks.

That game will determine a lot of what will happen in the Big Ten championship race. Believe it or not a win for the Buckeyes actually helps the Badgers. A Hawkeye victory actually hurts the Badgers in the BCS, and in the run for the roses.

It has to be assumed with the Spartans schedule that they will run the rest of the table. Of the four teams in the race it's the Spartans that have the easier schedule. Match-ups against Minnesota, Purdue, and Penn State should prove to be wins for Sparty. Even though a trip to Penn State is never easy the Spartans should manage to win their season finale.

In the event of a tie with the Spartans and Hawkeyes, the Badgers would not reach the Rose Bowl, because of the tie breaker situations. If the Buckeyes beat the Hawkeyes it would be the Badgers that would presumably go to the Rose Bowl because of the tie breaker.

The Spartans do not play the Buckeyes this season and while that may have been a blessing at the beginning of the season, it has turned out to be a curse. In the event of a tie the Spartans would be on the short end of the stick because of their BCS ranking. The Buckeyes on the other hand could jump into the Rose Bowl because of BCS ranking, but with a loss to the Badgers in a head-to-head match-up that possibility is slim.

There is a lot more to be figured out when it comes to the conference championship, and the run to the rose bowl. With the Spartan's loss to the Hawkeyes the race has become even more insane. Which should make for an exciting finish to the season.