Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Michigan State

Matchup: Ohio State vs. Michigan State
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium ~ Indianapolis, Indiana
Line: Ohio State -5.5. Total 51.5

Keys to Victory for Ohio State
-Bradley Roby and Doran Grant will perhaps be OSU's most important players on defense. The two DBs will likely see plenty of 1 on 1 matchups as Michigan State will likely run a power running game, forcing OSU to load the box.
-MLB Curtis Grant is Questionable for the game and will not be at 100% regardless. Ryan Shazier, who has been on an absolute tear in the past month, will be asked to come up big yet again.
-Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde so have big games. Obviously.
-The three all Big 10 seniors on the offensive line. They'll be facing the best defense they've seen all season. Possibly the best defense in the nation all together. Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, and Corey Linsley will need to replicate their all-conference performances once more for a championship.


Keys to Victory for Michigan State
-QB Connor Cook will be the most important player in the entire game. That sounds ridiculous seeing as how Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, and a slew of defensive stars on both sides of the ball will be taking the field, but throw everything else out the window. Michigan State HAS to have a very efficient game on offense in order to win. They'll slow Miller and Hyde, but they certainly will not stop them.
-Jeremy Langford is a powerful runner, but will need his Offensive Line to come up big for him. Jack Allen centers an OL that has protected the QB very well, while enabling Langford to average nearly 5 yards per carry.
-The nation's number 1 ranked defense will be asked to face their toughest task yet. In fact, they'll be asked to face a team that is leagues ahead of what they've seen this season. If they want to shut their critics up about their weak schedule, they'll need to come up big here.
-Max Bullough specifically needs to have a big game. The Big 10 first team Linebacker will be shadowing Braxton Miller all day.
-You can't write an article about MSU without mentioning the "No Fly Zone." Drummond, Lewis, and Dennard have been incredible this season, regardless of the skill level of their opponents.