Big Ten Conference and Oregon Ducks: New tiebreaker rules for the conference title game

The Oregon Ducks will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. The Big Ten has been expanded to 18 teams with the addition of Oregon, Washington Huskies, USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins.

The Big Ten has completed its tiebreaking procedures to determine which teams will get to play in the 2024 championship game. According to the league, here are the steps if two teams are tied in the Big Ten standings (conference games only).

• Direct comparison
• Record against all common conference opponents
• Record against common opponents with the best conference record and approach to common conference opponents based on their ranking order
• Best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents
• Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team rating score metric) after the regular season
• Random drawing by Commissioner Tony Petitti or a designee

Additional rules apply in the event that three teams are tied or the Big Ten Championship game cannot be played for any reason.

The Ducks are competing against college football’s elite in the Big Ten. Oregon is a Big Ten team in its first year and capable of winning right away. Oregon coach Dan Lanning has assembled an enviable roster with dangerously fast wide receivers and in the secondary, including receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and safety Kobe Savage.

The Ducks’ speed is balanced by their aggressive offensive line full of returners and a physically threatening defensive line that includes a huge reinforcement – literally – in the transfer of defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell.

If Oregon can beat both Ohio State at home and Michigan on the road, the Ducks have a real chance to finish their first season in their new conference undefeated.

Oregon senior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa is not responding to doubters who fear Oregon will fail against Big Ten opponents

“It comes down to not letting outside noise affect us,” Bassa told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. “I think that’s something we do great as a program… If we win or lose a game, we’ll go back on Sunday and look at the film and see what we did wrong first before we look at the things we did well.”

Bassa, the leader of Oregon’s defense, preaches patience to his team.

“My defenders know that we have to be ready every day because we are in the spotlight because of last season – whether we are playing against the team we knew last season or whether we are playing against a new team this season,” Bassa told Amaranthus.

The Big Ten title game will be played on December 7 at 8 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. CBS will broadcast the game.