How Michigan can be Big Ten Co-Champs

Submitted by Jeremy on

This scenario is very unlikely to happen but you never know with college football!

 

AFAIK all the records are correct. Illinois plays Fresno State in Week 14 and I picked Illinois to win that.

 

Chart:

Team Current Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Final Record
Ill 5-4 (3-3) Minnesota Northwestern Bye 8-4 (5-3) * #
Ind 4-5 (0-5) Wisconsin Penn State Purdue 6-6 (2-6)
Iowa 7-2 (4-1) Northwestern Ohio State Minnesota 8-4 (5-3) * #
Mich 6-3 (2-3) Purdue Wisconsin Ohio State 9-3 (5-3) *
MSU 9-1 (5-1) Bye Purdue Penn State 9-3 (5-3) *
Minn 1-9 (0-6) Illinois Bye Iowa 2-10 (1-7)
NW 6-3 (2-3) Iowa Illinois Wisconsin 7-5 (3-5)
OSU 8-1 (4-1) Penn State Iowa Michigan 9-3 (5-3) *
PSU 6-3 (3-2) Ohio State Indiana Michigan State 8-4 (5-3) * #
Pur 4-5 (2-3) Michigan Michigan State Indiana 5-7 (3-5)
Wisc 8-1 (4-1) Indiana Michigan Northwestern 9-3 (5-3) *

 

The Team listed in Bold for each week is the winner of the game, so if your teams row shows two bolded teams you will have lost two games. If you have no bolded games you won the rest of your games.

 

* Denotes Co-Champion of Big Ten based on Big Ten Record

# Denotes eliminated from Rose Bowl Selection by Tie Breaker rules.

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UMAmaizinBlue

November 9th, 2010 at 10:04 PM ^

You're saying there's a chance?!

 

[Sorry, I've never done that before and I couldn't resist.]

 

Anyway, Minn beating Iowa would be upset of the year in the Big 10, and probably has a 0.01% chance of happening in and of itself. I'm just happy to be bowling this year,and having the chance to get into a better bowl with each win. We can focus on a Big 10 Championship next year, IMO.

Joined: 09/23/2009

MGoPoints: 36272

Ann Arbor Cardinal

November 9th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^

Michigan lost to App St and 90% of "fans" gave up the season as lost. A couple months later UM was playing for the Big Ten championship. I'm not saying I'd put money on the above scenario to play out like that, but I wouldn't be shocked for UM to win two more games. Michigan winning out wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen in college football.

Joined: 07/28/2008

MGoPoints: 217

cjpops

November 9th, 2010 at 11:05 PM ^

I'd be shocked if they won 2 more games.  Nothing has changed with UM.  They still have a road game against a team that RR hasn't beaten yet followed by back to back games against top 10 teams.  

It's true - they have to play the games and UM has a chance, but, it would truly be shocking if they won either of their last 2 games on the schedule.  In fact, given the history of this team for the past 2.5 seasons, even beating Purdue on the road would be breaking new ground.

Man - the mood swings around here are crazy.  After losses, UM can't beat anyone.  After wins (even by the slimmest of margins) all of a sudden UM could win out.

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 1945

Don

November 10th, 2010 at 10:26 AM ^

Yep. It's amazing how far ahead of themselves people can get after one close win at home.

There's an old clinical term that's applicable to the Michigan fanbase: manic-depressive. I think it's been replaced by the more modern "bi-polar" but the old term more accurately captures the crazy swings in emotion around these parts.

If we lose to Purdue, the emotional high that resulted from the Illinois win will be instantly replaced by the crushing sense of doom that was present after the PSU game, with renewed howls for RR's/GERG's/Gibson's/etc's head to be planted on a pike outside the gates of Michigan Stadium.

If we win, we will have fans absolutely confident that we'll be in next year's NC game. Doubters will be labeled "pussies" and "Debbie Downers."

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 148237

joeyb

November 10th, 2010 at 10:45 AM ^

I agree with the general sense of what you are saying, but I don't think we'd be back to PSU. The difference would be that after PSU, we were seriously questioning whether we would make a bowl game or not. Now that we have our 6th win, losing to Purdue would be upsetting, but it wouldn't be as bad as after PSU.

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 16845

SirJack

November 10th, 2010 at 12:11 PM ^

No, I think we'd be right back where we were post-PSU. The sense of doom will be unignorable again. Purdue, like PSU, is simply a team that Michigan should beat this year. I don't think having a 6th victory and an inferior bowl to look forward to has anything to do w/the fact that losing to this injury-ridden Purdue team, not to mention losing to Purdue three years in a row, will be anything other than horrible and demoralizing.

Joined: 08/30/2009

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profitgoblue

November 10th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^

I don't mean to sound dismissive, but isn't that simply stating the obvious?  People get excited about a win and down after a loss.  Excitement feeds optimism, depression feeds pessimism.  Some people ride the high of excitement even through a subsequent loss, others ride the depression even through a subsequent win.

EDIT:  Then again, reading what I just typed, I just stated the obvious too.  Touche to myself!

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 19559

joeyb

November 10th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^

I think his point is that after the PSU loss we were talking about losing the rest of our games. After the Illinois win, we are now talking about winning the rest of our games. If we lose to Purdue, we will be back to 0% chance at winning either of our last 2. Then, we beat Wisconsin, and all of a sudden people think we are going to beat OSU on the road? Those doing this are just setting themselves up for heartbreak when we lose to a team that is better than us.

Optimistic would be that we roll Purdue and compete against Wisconsin and OSU. Bi-polar is talking about possibly winning our last 3 games, when last week no one gave us a chance in any of them except maybe Purdue.

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 16845

MGoShoe

November 10th, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^

...to be MIOMFOTI, you have to come with a Hard Edge.  I believe the challenge flag has been thrown.  Looking forward to reading your scenario. I assume it will have something to do with piles of cash being uncovered in one of Cecil Newton's churches, Boise State's blue camo field being ruled illegal, TCU losing to New Mexico State and Oregon losing its play call cards in a freak wind storm.

Joined: 04/23/2009

MGoPoints: 20734

Rasmus

November 10th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^

There are currently two 9-win teams and two 10-win teams. TCU doesn't have a championship game to play, so their worst outcome is 10-2. Hello BCS championship, where they lose to 9-3 Oregon, so both finish 10-3 -- the game is full of mistakes and both teams look terrible.

Auburn wins the SEC West at 10-2, despite losing to Alabama, who finish 9-3. Auburn then loses to Florida in the SEC championship game to finish at 10-3. Florida wins the SEC East despite losing to both Appalachian State and Florida State, finishing at 9-4.

The other current 9-win team is Michigan State, which is covered by the OP. Boise State loses three of its last four games to finish at 9-3 and out of the running. Utah loses to Notre Dame. Stanford finishes at 9-3. None of the other current 8-win teams do terribly well, with none finishing at better than 9-3 or 9-4 (including conference championship game).

Michigan beats Stanford/Florida in convincing fashion while Denard Robinson has NCAA football's first 300-300 game. Auburn (10-4) and Alabama (9-4) both lose their bowl games, and Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska and Stanford/Florida all lose their bowl games or play terribly in beating one of the others.

The final AP poll has 10-3 Michigan at #1.

Joined: 07/02/2009

MGoPoints: 2412

kalamazoo

November 10th, 2010 at 12:47 PM ^

@UMAmaizinBlue

I think Iowa can beat Minnesota and it still works out.  Iowa would then have to lose to OSU who would have to pick up an extra loss vs. PSU who would have to pick up an extra loss vs. Indiana.

Might still be 1,000,000 to 1 though.  Yes, I'm saying there's a chance.

Joined: 08/20/2010

MGoPoints: 2564

tsabesi

November 9th, 2010 at 10:09 PM ^

That's not out of the realm for possibility. Us winning out will be the least likely part, followed closely by Purdue beating MSU.

 

Edit: I missed Minn/NW pulling upsets.

Joined: 09/28/2009

MGoPoints: 774

BlueBarron

November 9th, 2010 at 10:08 PM ^

7 co-Big Ten Champions? What's the point of even calling us champions? Maybe that could be the BCS's way of declaring a National Championship: win your BCS bowl, you're co-Champions...

Joined: 06/21/2010

MGoPoints: 11168

jhackney

November 9th, 2010 at 10:19 PM ^

The Horseshit collapses this saturday on two despicable teams eliminating osu. Danny Hope surprises little brother by showing up with state troopers and msu's roster is decimated. 75% of Iowa's team stays home from eating bad corn and Minnesota squeaks it out 3-2.  Michigan wins Rose Bowl against TCU 76-74.

Joined: 12/11/2008

MGoPoints: 19772

BiSB

November 9th, 2010 at 10:19 PM ^

We'd have better luck relying on a plan involving an Acme Rocket, a pair of roller skates, a giant rubber band strung between trees as a sling shot, and a canyon wall painted to look like a train tunnel.

Joined: 08/15/2009

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Kilgore Trout

November 9th, 2010 at 10:23 PM ^

That's my kind of optimism.  Like people have said above, three games jump out as highly unlikely.

 

1. Indiana over Wisconsin

2. Purdue over MSU.

3. Minnesota over Iowa.

 

One can dream...

Joined: 02/20/2009

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