The Big Ten might pull a Lee Corso on its rules to qualify for the Big Ten football championship game.
You say teams must play six games to participate?
Not so fast my friend.
With the top ranked team in the Big Ten facing the very real possibility of failing to play six games, the league is considering an amendment to the rule according to Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez.
With just two weeks remaining, Ohio State has only played four games.
“I think if something were to happen to Ohio State and they’d have to cancel another game, that’s (the six game requirement) something that we’ve got to revisit,” Alvarez told The Detroit News. “They’re sitting up there still ranked No. 4. Our league can’t keep them from having the opportunity if they have a chance to be in the finals.”
According to Alvarez, the decision to change the rule would be up to the league’s athletic directors.
And the topic has already been broached.
“We meet weekly. Those are things we discuss,” Alvarez said. “We may make some adjustments on that last week. That’s sort of a flexible week of scheduling. But those are things we talk about and certainly you’ve got to consider, or reconsider.”
The Big Ten regular season has two weeks remaining, followed by a Champions Week on Dec. 19 that will pit East Division teams against the West, including the title game.
It is unclear at this time how the Big Ten might go about rectifying the situation if Ohio State is unable to play a sixth game.
The Buckeyes play at Michigan State on Saturday. Michigan, their final regular season opponent, is current shut down due to COVID-19.
While Ohio State defeated Indiana and seems like the logical choice to represent the East in the championship game, a re-write of the rules could be a bitter pill to swallow for IU.
If the Hoosiers run the table including a win over Wisconsin on Saturday they would have a clear claim to being the second best team overall in the league.
If the Big Ten is in the mood to rewrite the rules, would it consider an Indiana vs. Ohio State rematch?
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