Big Ten Football

Top wide receiver prospect Emeka Egbuka announced Friday he has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The 5-star recruit is considered the No. 1 wideout and the ninth-best player overall in the 2021 class, according to 247Sports composite rankings.

Egbuka has excellent speed, running a 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the All-American Combine in 2019. The 6'1", 190-pound player can make an impact in several other ways, including his ability to score from nearly anywhere in the field and win 50-50 balls in the air.

The Steilacoom product from Washington has produced incredible numbers at the high school level the past three years, totaling 199 catches for 3,907 yards and 61 touchdowns. He had at least 23 touchdown receptions as both a sophomore and junior in high school.

Egbuka has also excelled as a defensive back, although he will most likely play on offense for Ohio State.

He caught the attention of nearly the entire college football landscape, getting dozens of scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the country. He eventually narrowed his decision down to Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington.

Egbuka eventually picked the Buckeyes, giving the team another elite weapon offensively and getting a chance to contend at a national level. 

"I have a great relationship with the entire coaching staff, and they develop wide receivers really well," he said in May, per Brandon Huffman of 247Sports. "I talk with all the Ohio State coaches, but especially coach (Brian) Hartline and coach (Ryan) Day."

He also called Hartline "one of my favorite coaches."

The Buckeyes' development of recent receivers like Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell likely also helped.

Egbuka should have an opportunity for early playing time with Ohio State as he tries to live up to his lofty expectations. 

The only Big Ten team to actually win all its games on the field is going to the conference championship game, and its head coach is "appreciative" of the opportunity. 

After the Big Ten announced its members voted to change the one-year rule put in place before a shortened 2020 season requiring a team to play six games to be eligible for the title game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day released a statement saying he is "appreciative of our Big Ten Conference colleagues for reconsidering."

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic shared the statement:

The Buckeyes are 5-0 and have a head-to-head victory over Indiana, which is the second-place team in the Big Ten East. However, they fell short of six games because contests against Maryland, Illinois and Michigan were all canceled because of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The conference ultimately recognized that if Ohio State played and lost to Michigan this coming Saturday it would still have qualified for the title game, so it decided not to punish the Buckeyes for not playing the game at all.

In essence, Day's team would have been better off playing and losing to the Wolverines than not playing at all under the six-game rule, at least in terms of its Big Ten championship chances.

This means the Buckeyes will play Northwestern in a rematch of the 2018 Big Ten title game. The Scarlet and Gray won that matchup 45-24 and have won the last three conference crowns.

Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson released a statement saying he and head coach Tom Allen are "disappointed" the Hoosiers were left out of the title game but recognized "we had a chance to earn our spot ... but ultimately fell a touchdown short on the road against a great Ohio State team."

That game between Ohio State and Indiana was one of the most entertaining ones of the season, as the powerhouse Buckeyes went ahead 35-7 before the Hoosiers dramatically closed the gap in a 42-35 final. 

The biggest question now is whether the Buckeyes can reach the College Football Playoff, which does not have a minimum-game requirement.

They are in playoff position at No. 4 in the rankings, and they likely will make the CFP with a win over Northwestern unless Florida upset Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and set up a realistic scenario where two SEC teams would be in the four-team field.

Indiana and Purdue mutually agreed to cancel this year's Old Oaken Bucket football rivalry game because of increased positive COVID-19 tests at both schools. 

Indiana's vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Scott Dolson and Purdue's vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Mike Bobinski released a joint statement announcing the news:

"We're certainly disappointed that we had to cancel the Old Oaken Bucket game. We both understand the history and tradition of one of the best rivalries in college football, but the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our primary priority. We will continue to monitor the situation on both campuses and listen to the advice of our medical professionals."

Purdue canceled its practice on Tuesday because of the ongoing coronavirus cases, per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star, while Indiana confirmed Tuesday evening that it had paused all football activities. 

The news comes after the annual rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan was canceled as well. That had the potential to cause major drama in the Big Ten since the 5-0 Buckeyes didn't reach the six played games required this season to participate in the Big Ten title game. 

That would have made 6-1 Indiana the Big Ten East representative to face Northwestern (5-1). 

According to multiple reports, however, the Big Ten will change that rule to allow Ohio State—the No. 4 ranked team in the nation—into the game. Part of the reasoning is that Ohio State beat Indiana this year, 42-35, and so the Buckeyes would have qualified for the title game even with a loss to Michigan, since it held the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

As for the Old Oaken Bucket game, the trophy was first awarded in 1925, and Indiana and Purdue first played each other in 1891. Since 1925, Purdue leads the series 60–32–3.  

The Big Ten has removed the six-game requirement to qualify for the Big Ten title game, which will allow 5-0 Ohio State to play in the game vs. Northwestern:

The conference announced the decision in a statement Wednesday:

"The Big Ten Conference Administrators Council, which includes the Directors of Athletics and Senior Women Administrators from all 14 member institutions, voted today to eliminate the minimum-game requirement for participation in the 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game.

"The decision was made in collaboration with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and the conference office. The decision was based on a competitive analysis which determined that Ohio State would have advanced to the Big Ten Football Championship Game based on its undefeated record and head-to-head victory over Indiana regardless of a win or loss against Michigan."

The Buckeyes will be taking the place of 6-1 Indiana. 

Because the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers 42-35 earlier in the season, they would have won the Big Ten East even if they had lost to Michigan this weekend on a head-to-head tiebreaker. Instead, a COVID-19 outbreak in the Wolverines program forced the cancelation of that game. 

Allowing Ohio State to play in the Big Ten title game will also be important for its College Football Playoff resume. The Buckeyes are currently No. 4, behind Alabama (9-0), Notre Dame (10-0), Clemson (9-1) and ahead of Texas A&M (7-1), Florida (8-1) and Iowa State (8-2).

The Big Ten had initially deemed that teams must play at least six games to qualify for the title game. The Buckeyes have seen three of their eight games (Maryland, Illinois and Michigan) canceled, however. The cancellations in the Maryland and Michigan games came after coronavirus breakouts at those schools, while a breakout at Ohio State caused the Illinois game to be canned.  

There will no doubt be critics of the Big Ten's decision to change its own rules to cater to Ohio State. Fair or not, the perception will exist that the conference is trying to help out its most visible school to boost ratings for its title game. 

Defenders of the decision will note that Ohio State would have qualified anyway were it not for the Michigan cancellation, or that the Buckeyes are the highest-ranked team in the conference and it would have been a disservice to them to keep them out of the title game for reasons beyond their control.

Another Big Ten rivalry game may fall by the wayside this weekend. 

Indiana announced Tuesday it has paused team activities "due to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the program." The Hoosiers have yet to make a decision regarding their game against Purdue on Saturday.

"The health and safety of our students, coaches and staff is paramount," athletic director Scott Dolson said. "In consultation with our medical experts, we decided this is the appropriate decision at this time. We will continue to assess the situation moving forward."

Michigan announced earlier in the day it canceled its matchup with Ohio State due to increased COVID-19 cases and contact tracing.

That means Indiana is potentially on its way to the Big Ten championship. Ohio State has only played five games, one short of the number required to compete for a conference title. If the Buckeyes can't qualify, then the second-place Hoosiers would get the nod despite having lost to OSU on Nov. 21.

Whether Indiana has the numbers to play in the Big Ten title game could become a question, though.

Any player who tests positive for COVID-19 has to miss a minimum of 21 days under the conference's health and safety protocols. If the Hoosiers were unable to take on Purdue, they might struggle to avoid having the same thing happening for a second week against Northwestern.

The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach spoke to a Big Ten athletic director who entertained the idea of rearranging the schedule so that the teams that can play have the opportunity to compete this weekend. That would eliminate any issues regarding Ohio State's status for the conference championship.

But Michigan is already off the table, Indiana might be the next to go, and Purdue canceled Tuesday's practice as a precaution to await COVID-19 testing results. The Buckeyes are running out of options within the Big Ten to reach that important sixth game.

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh will meet with athletic director Warde Manuel about the state of the program following the conclusion of the Big Ten season.

Those talks may happen sooner than expected after the Wolverines saw their season-ending Saturday contest against No. 4 Ohio State canceled because of an outbreak of COVID-19. Michigan has no games scheduled after this week. 

"Jim and I will meet at the end of the year to discuss the program," Manuel told reporters. "... That's where we'll be at the end of the season."

The AD said a season-ending meeting with Harbaugh has become the norm. 

The Wolverines went 2-4 this season with losses to Michigan State, No. 13 Indiana, No. 13 Wisconsin and Penn State. A game slated for Maryland last week was also canceled because of a high number of COVID cases. 

That type of performance on the field has disappointed many around Ann Arbor, but it may not spark the end of the Harbaugh era just yet. 

According to David Jesse of the Detroit Free Press, Manuel and Harbaugh have begun discussing a contract extension that would give the athletic department more flexibility next year:

"The extension would offer Harbaugh a lower base salary than he currently has and a lower buyout figure, making it easier to fire him next year if needed, according to a source with direct knowledge of the conversations, who confirmed an earlier report of the same details."

Michigan insider John U. Bacon further reported at least five NFL teams have expressed interest in hiring Harbaugh, but it's unclear if any official job offers have been made. 

In six seasons leading the Wolverines, Harbaugh is 49-22 (34-16 Big Ten) with his alma mater with one victory in five bowl game appearances. 

In the wake of Michigan having to cancel Saturday's game against Ohio State due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases within the football program, Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel hopes the Buckeyes don't get punished for not meeting the Big Ten's minimum-game threshold. 

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Warde said he and the Big Ten are "open about conversation” that would allow Ohio State to play in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 19. 

"We made a decision months ago, not knowing where this virus would take us. I don’t think anyone should be punished by decisions we made (months ago)," he added. 

Saturday's cancellation leaves Ohio State with only five games played during the regular season. Michigan also had to cancel last week's game against Maryland due to COVID-19 concerns.

This marks the third cancellation for Ohio State this season after a Nov. 14 game against Maryland and Nov. 28 game against Illinois. 

Per the Big Ten's adopted rules for this season, teams are required to play at least six games to qualify for the conference title game.

That number was allowed to be adjusted down to four if the entire conference had enough cancellations that the average games played for each team fell below six.

Brett McMurphy of Stadium reported Dec. 5 that Big Ten athletic directors "will likely" change conference title game requirements, "but it won’t be an easy decision."

Based on the current rule, the Big Ten Championship Game will feature No. 8 Indiana taking on No. 15 Northwestern. 

The Buckeyes are currently ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff standings. They will still be eligible for the four-team playoff if they don't play in the Big Ten title game. 

Jim Harbaugh has not lived up to the sky-high expectations that were in place when Michigan hired him as its head football coach, but that reportedly might not stop the school from signing him to a contract extension.

According to reporter John U. Bacon, athletic director Warde Manuel has talked about an extension with a lower base salary and buyout that would feature performance incentives and the ability to "hire top assistants."

It apparently puts the ball in Harbaugh's court, as "at least five NFL teams have expressed an interest in hiring him."

Harbaugh was largely successful during his four years as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and went 44-19-1 while reaching a Super Bowl. With that resume, it should come as no surprise that NFL teams are interested in bringing him back to that level.

The biggest question may be whether he believes his time at his alma mater will continue trending in the wrong direction, which may lead to him reaching the conclusion that he is better off going back to the NFL.

It appeared as if Michigan made a home run hire at the start.

The Wolverines went 5-7 in 2014 before bringing Harbaugh aboard and immediately turned things around during a 10-3 campaign in 2015 that ended with a Citrus Bowl win over Florida. They were in the middle of the College Football Playoff discussion at 10-1 in 2016 only to end their regular season with a loss to Ohio State that dropped them out of contention.

That was a sign of things to come, as the rival Buckeyes also knocked them out of CFP contention in 2018.

In fact, Harbaugh has never beaten Michigan's chief rival and lost the last two matchups by a combined 52 points. Ohio State is an annual championship contender, and Michigan has fallen far behind following a 9-4 effort in 2019 and a 2-4 start to the 2020 campaign.

The Wolverines have also lost their last four bowl games under Harbaugh and have never even reached the Big Ten Championship Game, underscoring their inability to come through in big moments under the head coach.

They will have another chance to turn that narrative around Saturday against the Buckeyes, but upsetting the No. 4 team in the CFP rankings is a tall task.

There is a real possibility that any official news of Harbaugh's contract extension comes with the backdrop of another blowout loss against the program that has lapped his as a national contender in the Big Ten.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day rejoined the Buckeyes on Monday after spending 10 days isolation following a positive test for COVID-19, per Heather Dinich of ESPN.

That means Day will be back on the sidelines for this weekend's rivalry game vs. Michigan, though that contest is in question because of coronavirus concerns within the Wolverines program.

Michigan canceled its last game against Maryland and halted football activities last week after registering at least a dozen positive tests for COVID-19, per Dinich. 

The 5-0 Buckeyes are 30-point favorites in the contest against 2-4 Michigan, though winning the game might be the secondary goal to simply playing it, since Ohio State won't qualify for the Big Ten title game if they don't play six total games this season. Michigan is the last contest on Ohio State's schedule. 

Granted, Ohio State's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff this year might not be tethered to a berth in the Big Ten title game, given the strange nature of this season amidst a pandemic. But it would rob them of a chance to win a conference title. 

"We hope to play as we hope to play every game this year," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said last week, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN. "Any time in our league that has stopped thus far had the goal of playing every game this year. It is disheartening that we are not going to be able to play Maryland. Our hope is that we can play Ohio State and finish the season in the final week."

It would certainly be a strange college football season if Ohio State and Michigan didn't play, which remains a possibility. 

The Michigan Wolverines reportedly took a step toward being able to play The Game on Saturday.

According to Tom VanHaaren of ESPN, Michigan's football team was cleared for limited workouts Monday. That is notable because the Wolverines paused football activities and canceled last Saturday's game against Maryland because of COVID-19 cases within the program.

VanHaaren pointed out this does not mean the upcoming rivalry clash against Ohio State will undoubtedly happen, but a source called it a step forward.

While both programs circle this game on their calendars every year, the 2020 edition is far more important to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is 5-0 and No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. A Big Ten title and national championship are both very much in play, while Michigan is a shell of the historically dominant program that was such an integral part of the college football landscape throughout much of the sport's history.

The Wolverines are just 2-4, needed triple-overtime to beat Rutgers and have defeated the powerhouse Buckeyes a mere two times since 2000. Ohio State won the last two meetings by a combined 52 points and has lapped Michigan as a national contender with Urban Meyer and now Ryan Day as head coach going up against Jim Harbaugh.

While the Wolverines are playing out the string on a lost season, Big Ten rules state the Buckeyes have to play six games to be eligible for the conference title game.

If Saturday's contest doesn't happen, they will fall short of that threshold, which could pave the way for an Indiana team that already lost to Ohio State to be the default representative of the Big Ten East.

However, VanHaaren reported Big Ten athletic directors could change that rule during meetings on Wednesday. That echoes a report from Brett McMurphy of Stadium that said the athletic directors will "likely change" it.

Like is so often the case, Ohio State is the conference's only legitimate playoff contender. Changing the arbitrary rule that was put in place this year would be the conference's best chance at the national exposure the CFP provides.

It may not be necessary, though, as Michigan at least took a step toward being able to play in a game the week after canceling one because of COVID-19 concerns just like Ohio State did when it canceled its matchup with Illinois but still defeated Michigan State.