Big Ten championship paths: Ohio State, Michigan, and others eye 2025 title

The Big Ten championship contest has been dominated by two teams during the regular season. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana, two of the three undefeated teams left in the FBS, have been headed for a showdown all season long. 

No. 5 Oregon also is in the mix, and No. 15 Michigan has just one loss in conference play. The Buckeyes play the Wolverines at 12 p.m. On Saturday. The Hoosiers play rival Purdue on Friday, and Oregon will know if it still has a chance to reach Indianapolis when it faces Washington at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. 

Seven possible outcomes exist for The Big Ten championship game, scheduled for December 6th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and it will be broadcast on conference's official website here.  

Here is how each team can advance to the Big Ten championship game. 

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Big Ten championship possibilities for 2025

Four teams are still in the Big Ten championship game picture. A look at their paths to the conference championship game: 

Indiana (11-0, 8-0) 

- Indiana clinches a spot in the Big Ten championship game with a win against Purdue. 

Should Indiana fall to Purdue, the Hoosiers would secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game provided Ohio State beats Michigan. Indiana holds a tiebreaker advantage over Oregon due to their earlier head-to-head win, both teams finishing with an 8-1 conference record. 

Among the four teams, the Hoosiers' rivals possess the lowest combined conference win rate at.333. 

Ohio State (11-0, 8-0) 

- Ohio State clinches a spot in the Big Ten championship game with a win against Michigan.

Should Ohio State fall to Michigan, the Buckeyes would require Purdue to beat Indiana and Washington to beat Oregon to secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game. 

The Buckeyes' adversaries are third out of the four teams when considering cumulative conference winning percentage (.403). 

Oregon (10-1, 7-1) 

- Oregon clinches a spot in the Big Ten championship game with a win against Washington AND a Michigan win against Ohio State. 

- The Ducks would be eliminated from Big Ten championship contention with a loss to Washington. 

The Ducks' rivals boast the top combined conference win rate of the four squads (.517). 

Michigan (9-2, 7-1) 

- Michigan needs to beat Ohio State AND an Indiana loss to Purdue to make the Big Ten championship game. 

- Michigan also would make the Big Ten championship game with a win against Ohio State AND an Oregon loss to Washington. 

The Wolverines' rivals boast the second-highest combined conference winning percentage of the four squads (.417). 

Is it possible for Ohio State and Michigan to face off in the Big Ten championship game? 

This situation arises if Michigan defeats Ohio State, Washington triumphs over Oregon, and Purdue overcomes Indiana. In such an event, the Buckeyes and Wolverines would compete in the Big Ten championship game. The Ducks would then have accumulated two conference defeats, while Ohio State and Michigan would have both bested Purdue, a team that shares a common opponent with The Hoosiers.

The Big Ten Conference has established its tiebreaker regulations for the upcoming 2025 season. 

The Big Ten's official website outlines the tie-breaker procedures used to decide which teams advance to the conference championship game.

Step 1:  Head to head: "The tied teams will be compared based on head-to-head matchups during the regular season."

Step 2: Rivals in the same conference: "The tied teams will be compared based on record against all common conference opponents"

Step 3:  Opponents in the same conference: "The tied teams will be compared based on record against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings."

Step 4:  Conference win rate: "The tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents."

Step 5:  SportsSource Analytics ranking: "The representative will be chosen based on the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season."

Step 6:  Random draw: "The representative will be chosen by random draw among the tied teams conducted by the commissioner or designee."

2025 Big Ten shared foes

Here's a look at the typical opponents for Big Ten teams that have suffered two losses or fewer. We've included the cumulative conference winning percentage, which serves as the fourth Big Ten tiebreaker, to highlight which teams are best positioned as Rivalry Week approaches: