Iowa shocked No. 3 Michigan 14-13 Saturday in Iowa City on a game-ending field goal. It was the third major upset of the day, and it helped shape a November shakeup that won’t soon be forgotten.
The Wolverines’ College Football Playoff hopes are far from over, however. The Big Ten race, meanwhile, just got a lot more interesting. Here’s how that picture shapes up:
1. Michigan can’t lose again.
The Wolverines (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) have to beat Indiana and Ohio State to get to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game. It’s a simple road, but the loss to Iowa showed that Jim Harbaugh’s team is anything but invincible on the road. The Buckeyes and Wolverines won’t go to Indianapolis undefeated, but there is still a lot at stake in their matchup Nov. 26.
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2. Penn State loved that.
If Ohio State wins out and beats Michigan, then Penn State would go to Indianapolis if it wins its final two games. The Nittany Lions (at Rutgers, vs. Michigan State) have an easier road than the Buckeyes (at Michigan State, vs. Michigan), too. The Spartans will play a role in the Big Ten hunt; it’s just not the one they thought it would be.
3. The Big Ten could create a real mess.
If two-loss Penn State goes to the Big Ten championship and plays two-loss Wisconsin or Nebraska, then would the College Football Playoff committee take a one-loss Ohio State team that doesn’t go to Indianapolis instead? That’s an entirely bizarre-yet-feasible scenario for the conference that could happen now.
