The inaugural Big Ten Championship Game pits the Wisconsin Badgers against the Michigan St. Spartans at Lucas Oil Stadium. But after the recent scandal at Penn State, the two schools will play for the Stagg Championship Trophy instead of the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy.
Wisconsin lost its first game of the season to Michigan State, 37-31. The Spartans won on a last-second Hail Mary pass that, after some discussion, resulted in the refs changing the short-of-the-goal line call to a touchdown. The Badgers went on to lose the following game to the Ohio St. Buckeyes. However, they rebounded and won four straight games, including the regular season finale against the Penn St. Nittany Lions.
The Spartans also enter this contest on a four-game winning streak. After defeating the Badgers in the middle of October, Michigan State experienced a letdown a week later by falling to the then-No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers. This was the team's second loss of the season, having dropped an early season game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Can the Badgers reverse the tables this time around?
For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.