Big Ten announces new tiebreaking procedures for 2024 conference championship game

Maceo Gifford | Aug 26, 2024

The logo of the Big Ten Conference is seen on a yard marker during Iowa Hawkeyes football Kids Day at Kinnick open practice, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 210814 Ia Fb Kids Day 109 Jpg / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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On Monday, August 26, 2024, the Big Ten conference finalized and announced it's new tie breaking procedures for the championship game. In the official document, the Big Ten explains the 6 steps for both a two-way tie and the process for a situation in which the tie involves three or more teams. Any other Big Ten teams that are not qualified for the postseason will not be counted in the tiebreaker decisions.

The new #B1GFootball tiebreaking procedures for the 2024 Discover #B1GFCG

More details here: https://t.co/dHmqU5gx2K pic.twitter.com/Mos3S2RFVe
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 26, 2024

Here is the procedure in the event that two teams tie for one spot (the steps will be taken in order until a difference is identified):

1. Head-to-head result

The two teams are compared based their own head-to-head matchup (if played) against each other during the regular season.

2. Record against conference opponents

If the two teams haven't played each other, their record against common confrence opponents will be compared.

3. Record against common opponents with the best conference record

The tied teams will be compared based on their record against common opponents with the best respective conference records and preceding through the common conference opponents based off order of finish.

4. Best cumulative conference winning percentage

The two teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.

5. Ranking on SportSource Analytics

The team that advances will be chosen based on the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics which is a team Rating Score metric. This will be based on the regular season.

6. Random Draw

The team will be chosen by random draw between the two teams. The draw will be conducted by either Commissioner Tony Petitti, or a designee.

Because the Big Ten has now expanded to 18 colleges and removed the East and West divisions in college football, a tie between three or more teams becomes more complicated. If three teams tie for the two championship spots, the first team to qualify automatically advances, and the two other teams start at the first step of the two-team tiebreaker procedures. If there are four teams that are tied, the No. 1 team will advance, and the other three teams will be compared using the three-team tie breaking procedures.

Nov 11, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the Big Ten logo during warmups prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Here is the procedure for a tiebreaker that involves 3 or more teams:

1. Winning Percentage in game among the tied teams

(a) If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie advances, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the either the two team or three or more team tie.
(b) If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker.

2. Winning Percentage against all common conference opponents

The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on their winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by every team involved in the tie.

3. Winning Percentage against next highest placed common opponent

The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings in order of finish.

4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents

The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents: (a) In the event of an unbalanced schedule (i.e., less than nine conference games are played), the records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents, regardless of how many conference opponents each team played.

5. SportsSource Analytics

The team/teams will be chosen by the highest ranking in reference to SportSource Analytics (a team Rating Score metric) following the regular season.

6. Random Draw

Random draw among the tied teams conducted by Commissioner or designee.

If any tiebreaker step produces results with two teams tied for No. 1, both are selected for the championship game. To decide the seeding of the two teams, they will progress through the two-team tiebreaker procedures.

If a tiebreaker step produces results with one team being eliminated from proceeding to the next step in the tiebreaker process, the team that is eliminated shall not be pulled back into the tiebreaker for any future step(s).

The 2024 Discover Big Ten championship game will be played on Saturday, December 7, in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. It will be aired on CBS for the first time. The winner of the championship game will guarantee their spot in the College Football Playoffs.

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