Big Ten championship and more

The Iowa Hawkeyes are the No. 4 team in the country. Iowa is undefeated and plays in the Big Ten, but somehow is getting very little respect but those who watch college football on a weekly basis.

The reality is that the Hawkeyes have played a very easy schedule despite being in one of the power conferences. In 2015, the only teams in the conference outside of Iowa worth talking about are the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans.

Iowa has yet to play any of them, but that is going to change on Saturday night.

The Hawkeyes are set for a clash with Michigan State, which has needed a bit of divine intervention just to reach this point. Expected to be one of the best teams in the United States this year, the Spartans have played a few games right down to the wire. Earlier this season, Michigan State struggled at home to finish off the Purdue Boilermakers and even lost a brutal contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

In Columbus, the Spartans won a game over Ohio State on a last-second field goal, giving them a chance to make a run at the College Football Playoff. However, their wildest game took place up in Ann Arbor, where Michigan State looked dead and buried.

On the final play of the game, Michigan was leading and looked to punt when the snap was mishandled by the punter. The Wolverines turned the ball over, and the Spartans scooped up the fumble and run into the end zone, giving them the most improbable win in program history.

Now, these two teams will battle it out for one spot in the College Football Playoffs. If the Spartans win, they will certainly jump the one necessary spot into the top four and be playing for a shot at the national title in January. Iowa would remain undefeated with a victory and would only need to not be jumped, something that won’t be happening to a team with an unbeaten mark.

Regardless of the victor, Ohio State will be hoping to sneak into the College Football Playoff via the back door. Should No. 1 Clemson lose to North Carolina in the ACC Championship, Ohio State would have a chance of making the postseason. It would be shocking in some regards should the defending national champion be left out in the cold with only one loss, but the Buckeyes have been mediocre most of the campaign.

Come Sunday night, we will know where everyone stands.