Big Ten Roundup: Michigan Wins Second Straight Big 10 Championship; Ohio State Sneaks Into Playoff

The Michigan Wolverines repeated as Big Ten Champions after defeating Purdue 43-22 on Saturday. Additionally, with the help from USC, Ohio State slipped into the last College Football Playoff spot.

Michigan

For the first time since 1997-98, the Wolverines claimed their second straight Big Ten Championship.

Michigan came into the game undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the country. They steamrolled Ohio State on Nov. 26 and dominated Purdue Saturday night.

Donovan Edwards carried the team once again, rushing the ball 25 times for 185 yards and a touchdown. Edwards was awarded the MVP of the ballgame.

The leaders and best!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/1pjtmgRNnP

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 4, 2022

Quarterback JJ McCarthy recorded 161 yards through the air and three touchdowns, in the effort. Despite the win, McCarthy knows this isn’t the ultimate goal and he said he’s focused on winning a National Championship.

"The job's not finished," JJ McCarthy said postgame, taking off his Big Ten East champs hat. "We got so much more to do."

Donovan Edwards: “That boy sound like Kobe Bryant!” pic.twitter.com/UdOjtWhBTi

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) November 27, 2022

Purdue

Purdue won their first Big Ten West division title in school history and came in with an 8-4 record.

Quarterback Aidan O’Connell had a fantastic game going 32-for-47 for 366 yards. Though, O’Connell couldn’t find the endzone in the air.

The game was competitive throughout the first half. Purdue kept their deficit to one point before the halftime break, but struggled in the second half. A pair of interceptions by O’Connell kept momentum away from the Boilermakers.

Purdue was outscored 29-9 in the second half, ultimately coming up short to the Wolverines.

Ohio State

Ohio State snuck into the playoff after USC flopped in the Pac-12 Championship game.

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/1598902813069045760?s=20&t=YMQHFqpvfmYuwZaMb9aC1g

The Buckeyes have the opportunity to matchup with Michigan in the National Championship, but they’ll face their toughest test of the year in the semifinal against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Wolverines walked into Columbus and defeated the Buckeyes on Nov. 26, and Ryan Day’s squad would be drooling for a second chance against John Harbaugh’s squad.

Bowling Season

Michigan is looking to avenge their loss in the semifinal last year as the Playoff Committee gave them the No. 2 ranking on Sunday. They will take on TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Years Eve.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1599459026093342722?s=20&t=YMQHFqpvfmYuwZaMb9aC1g

Last year, Purdue had a major victory in the Transperfect Music City Bowl against Tennessee. They will take on another SEC opponent, LSU, in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

https://twitter.com/CitrusBowl/status/1599498855019843584?s=20&t=YMQHFqpvfmYuwZaMb9aC1g

Ohio State will play as the No. 4 seed in the playoff for the first time since their national championship run in 2014. They will take on No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on New Years Eve.