Michigan State Stuns Ohio State To Claim Big Ten Automatic BCS Bid

Michigan State ended Ohio State’s 24-game winning streak in the Big Ten Championship Game and in turn clinch a spot in the Rose Bowl.

This will be Michigan State’s first-ever appearance in a BCS bowl and first appearance in the Rose Bowl since 1988. Michigan State knocks Ohio State out of a potential spot in the BCS title game, giving the Auburn Tigers the inside track on keeping the title in the SEC.

In the meantime, Michigan State will likely be on its way to Pasadena to face off against Stanford, which punched its ticket earlier Saturday night.

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Wisconsin Emphatically Claims Big Ten Title, Rose Bowl Berth

Wisconsin, the biggest beneficiary of Ohio State and Penn State’s ineligibility in 2012, has come all the way back from an uneasy start to its season and will represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl after defeating Nebraska, 70-31, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday.

The Badgers will be the first five-loss team to take part in a BCS bowl, eclipsing four-loss 2010 UConn and 2002 Florida State’s previous record for most losses by a BCS-bound team, but Wisconsin is on its way to a third straight Rose Bowl.

Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4) finished the Big Ten’s regular season in third place in the conference’s Leaders division, but with the first-place Buckeyes (12-0, 8-0) and second-place Nittany Lions (8-4, 6-2) ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA sanctions, it was up to the Badgers to take on Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Wisconsin will appear in its fifth Rose Bowl during the BCS era, having lost the previous two after winning the 1999 and 2000 editions of the historic bowl.