The Indiana football team didn’t play Saturday but that doesn’t mean the Hoosiers didn’t win.
Oregon went into the Columbus and beat Ohio State 41-28 − the Buckeyes second loss. That means if the season ended today, IU would be back in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Dec. 5.
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Win out vs Southern Cal, at Washington and vs. Purdue, and the Hoosiers clinch a berth in the Big Ten title game.
UCLA remains at the top of the standings after a 34-20 win over Minnesota on Saturday improved the Bruins‘ record to 6-0, one game ahead of the Hoosiers at 5-1. Indiana would win a one-loss tiebreaker if UCLA loses to Michigan or USC, the tiebreaker would go to SportSource Rating Score, according to mred, if UCLA’s only loss is to Illinois.
Breakdown: How Indiana football can make Big Ten championship game
Oregon (4-2), Ohio State (4-2), USC (4-2), Illinois (3-2), Iowa (3-2; playing Northwestern tonight), Northwestern (3-2; playing Iowa tonight) and Wisconsin (4-2) all have two losses.
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If Indiana loses another game, it will not be in good shape on the tiebreakers but the chances to return to Indianapolis increased significantly Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What Ohio State’s loss to Oregon means for Indiana football’s Big Ten title game chances
