Michigan Upsets Ohio State, But Penn State Wins To Eliminate Indiana From Big Ten Championship Game Chance

Late field goal lifts unranked Michigan past No. 2 Ohio State 13-10. That kept Indiana alive for the Big Ten championship game, but Penn State's win over Maryland ended that chance.

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (20) celebrates a touchdown against Ohio State during the first half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A college football season full of surprises produced a big one on Saturday that kept Indiana alive for a berth in the Big Ten championship game for a longer than expected period of time on Saturday.

A 21-yard field goal by Michigan's Dominic Zvada with 45 seconds left lifted the unranked Wolverines to a 13-10 victory over No. 2 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes missed two field goals earlier in the game and couldn't drive for the score in the final minute.

The Michigan victory kept alive Indiana's hopes for a berth in the Big Ten championship game for a time, but the Hoosiers needed help elsewhere and didn't get it.

No. 4 Penn State needed to lose to Maryland, but the Nittany Lions defeated the Terrapins 44-7 to clinch a berth in the Big Ten championship game where they will play Oregon.

If Penn State and Indiana both lost one Big Ten game, Indiana is still playing as of publication of this story, Penn State would win the tiebreaker. The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions didn't play each other and Penn State won the cumulative opponent conference record tiebreaker over the Hoosiers.

No. 10 Indiana also needed to beat Purdue in its 7 p.m. ET game to have a chance, but the Penn State victory made that a moot point. Indiana might be in more of an advantageous position by not playing in the Big Ten championship game if the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers.

Taking the Big Ten championship game out of it, the Michigan victory can be viewed in two different ways as far as the effect it would have on Indiana.

On one hand, Michigan's victory strengthens Indiana's resume to a point. Michigan improved to 7-5 with the victory. Indiana defeated Michigan 20-15 on Nov. 9.

On the other hand, Ohio State will drop in the rankings and might influence Indiana's ranking in a negative way depending on how the College Football Playoff committee views a one-loss Indiana team versus a two-loss Ohio State team. Ohio State is a week removed from a 38-15 win over Indiana at home.

Elsewhere, as it relates to Indiana's ranking, the Hoosiers may have received help from No. 15 South Carolina as the Gamecocks defeated No. 12 Clemson 17-14. That takes No. 12 Clemson, the closest team behind Indiana for an at-large bid, off the Hoosiers' bumper. It does put South Carolina into the playoff mix, however.

No. 8 Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 36-23, a result that will likely keep the Volunteers ahead of the Hoosiers in the pecking order.

Late Friday, No. 7 Georgia survived an eight-overtime contest against Georgia Tech, winning 44-42.

Other games still to be played that could play a role in Indiana's fate include these 3:30 p.m. ET games:

No. 5 Notre Dame at USC

No. 6 Miami at Syracuse

California at No. 9 SMU

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