2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game

The 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover was played on December 1, 2018 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eighth annual Big Ten Football Championship Game, it determined the 2018 champion of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State, the East Division champion, defeated West Division champion Northwestern 45–24 to win its second straight Big Ten Championship.

2018 Discover Card Big Ten Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Championship Game Logo
Northwestern Wildcats Ohio State Buckeyes (8–4) (11–1) 24 45 Head coach:  Pat Fitzgerald Head coach:  Urban Meyer AP Coaches CFP 21 21 21 AP Coaches CFP 6 6 6
1 2 3 4 Total Northwestern 7 0 14 3 24 Ohio State 14 10 7 14 45
Date	December 1, 2018
Season	2018
Stadium	Lucas Oil Stadium
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
MVP	Dwayne Haskins
Favorite	Ohio State by 16.5
National anthem	Bands of participants
Referee	Ron Snodgrass
Attendance	66,375
United States TV coverage
Network	Fox
Announcers	Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)
Nielsen ratings	5.0 (8.7 million)

2018 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$		8	–	1					13	–	1
No. 14 Michigan x		8	–	1					10	–	3
No. 17 Penn State		6	–	3					9	–	4
Michigan State		5	–	4					7	–	6
Maryland		3	–	6					5	–	7
Indiana		2	–	7					5	–	7
Rutgers		0	–	9					1	–	11
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy		8	–	1					9	–	5
Wisconsin		5	–	4					8	–	5
No. 25 Iowa		5	–	4					9	–	4
Purdue		5	–	4					6	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	6					7	–	6
Nebraska		3	–	6					4	–	8
Illinois		2	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

History

The 2018 Championship Game was the eighth in the Big Ten's 123-year history and the fifth to feature the conference's East and West alignment.

Teams

Northwestern Wildcats

Main article: 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team

After starting 1–3 with losses to Duke, Akron, and No. 14 Michigan, the Wildcats rebounded to win six of their next seven, including three wins over ranked teams (No. 20 Michigan State, No. 20 Wisconsin, and No. 21 Iowa); they clinched their first-ever Big Ten Championship berth with their win against Iowa. The Wildcats entered the Big Ten Championship Game with a record of 8–4, 8–1 in Big Ten play.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Main article: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The Ohio State Buckeyes represented the Big Ten East Division in the game. Ohio State secured the spot with a 62–39 win over fourth-ranked Michigan. This was Ohio State's second consecutive season representing the East.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NU OSU 1 10:31 10 77 4:29 OSU Terry McLaurin 16-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 0 7 1 6:27 2 80 0:51 NU John Moten IV 77-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 7 7 1 3:29 8 65 2:58 OSU J. K. Dobbins 2-yard touchdown run, Blake Haubeil kick good 7 14 2 6:09 8 21 3:26 OSU 42-yard field goal by Blake Haubeil 7 17 2 1:21 9 78 3:53 OSU Terry McLaurin 42-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 7 24 3 13:23 5 75 1:37 NU Clayton Thorson 18-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 14 24 3 8:03 11 85 3:24 NU Cameron Green 2-yard touchdown reception from Clayton Thorson, Charlie Kuhbander kick good 21 24 3 1:21 6 60 1:29 OSU Chris Olave 29-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 21 31 4 10:34 7 76 1:50 NU 21-yard field goal by Charlie Kuhbander 24 31 4 9:11 4 75 1:23 OSU Johnnie Dixon 9-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 24 38 4 4:09 8 54 2:32 OSU J. K. Dobbins 17-yard touchdown reception from Dwayne Haskins, Blake Haubeil kick good 24 45 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 45

Statistics

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Wildcats	7	0	14	3	24
No. 6 Buckeyes	14	10	7	14	45

Statistics	NU	OSU
First downs	24	45
Plays–yards	68–418	87–607
Rushes–yards	24–151	46–108
Passing yards	267	499
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27–44–2	34–41–1
Time of possession	24:08	35:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Clayton Thorson	27–44, 267 yds., 1 TD, 2 Int.
	Rushing	John Moten IV	76 yds., 1 TD
	Receiving	Kyric McGowan	4 rec., 50 yds., 1 TD
Ohio State	Passing	Dwayne Haskins	34–41, 499 yds., 5 TD, 1 Int.
	Rushing	J. K. Dobbins	68 yds., 1 TD
	Receiving	Johnnie Dixon III	7rec., 129 yds., 1 TD

See also

• List of Big Ten Conference football champions