Iowa and Michigan State prepare to play in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday.
By Jordan Hansen
On Saturday, No. 4 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State will meet to decide the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Spartans come in with an 11-1 record and just a single loss to Nebraska, the team 12-0 Iowa beat to finish the regular sesason.
“Kirk Ferentz has done an outstanding job there in his time, 17 years. He’s built a culture there, he’s built a program, he’s build a legacy there,” Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said. “It will be a great challenge for us to be able to play and be successful, but we’re looking forward to that.”
The Saturday matchup will be the programs’ first meeting since the 2013 season, when Michigan State beat Iowa, 26-14, in Kinnick.
It will be Iowa’s first trip to Indianapolis for the conference championship; the Spartans will make their third. Michigan State lost the inaugural Big Ten Championship game in 2011 to Wisconsin, then beat Ohio State for the title in 2013.
“Having another opportunity to go back there and do the same thing, we’re really fired up about it,” Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook said. “We’re just super anxious to get back.”
Rutgers fires head coach and athletics director
Scarlet Knight head football coach Kyle Flood and Athletics Director Julie Hermann have been fired.
The Rutgers athletics program has come under incredible scrutiny over the past few years, and this season did little to stem that. Flood finished 4-8 on the season and was suspended three games in the middle of the year for emailing a professor in regards to academics.
Discussions with professors detailing students’ academic standings are not allowed and did not help his standing within the university.
“[Flood’s] teams won 26 games and played in three bowl games,” Rutgers President Robert Barchi said in an open letter the university. “However, our continued struggles on the field combined with several off-the-field issues have convinced me that we need new leadership of our football program.”
The Scarlet Knights have won just four Big Ten games since joining the conference in 2014, including just 1-of-8 this year.
Flood spent 11 years at Rutgers, working seven of those as an assistant.
“I wish the Rutgers team, community, and alumni nothing but great success in the future,” Flood posted on Twitter. “This program has been built on a strong foundation. I have no doubt the best is yet to come.”
4-5-6 in College Football Playoff Rankings
Iowa came in at No. 4, followed by Michigan State at No. 5 and Ohio State at No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
While the winner of Iowa-Michigan State will be assured a spot in the College Football Playoff, who will head to the Rose Bowl is a different argument.
The Rose Bowl will likely take the next highest-ranked Big Ten team, a lot of which depends on whether Iowa or Michigan State wins the conference championship. If the Spartans lose, they would have two losses and would drop behind Ohio State.
If Michigan State wins, that’s where things get tricky. The Buckeyes only loss is to the Spartans and so would Iowa’s. The Hawkeyes could slide behind Ohio State at that point and would likely be headed to the Fiesta or Peach Bowl.
Follow @JordyHansen for Iowa and Big Ten football news, updates, and analysis.
