2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game

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2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Michigan Wolverines Iowa Hawkeyes
(12–0) (10–2)
26 0
Head coach: 
Jim Harbaugh		 Head coach: 
Kirk Ferentz
APCoachesCFP
222
APCoachesCFP
181716
1234 Total
Michigan 100106 26
Iowa 0000 0
DateDecember 2, 2023
Season2023
StadiumLucas Oil Stadium
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
MVPMike Sainristil, DB, Michigan
FavoriteMichigan by 22.5
National anthemUniversity of Michigan and University of Iowa Marching bands
RefereeJeff Servinski
Attendance67,842
United States TV coverage
NetworkFox
Compass Media
AnnouncersGus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline) (Fox)
Gregg Daniels (play-by-play) and Chad Brown (analyst) (Compass Media)
Big Ten Football Championship Game
 < 2022  2024 > 
2023 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 1 Michigan xy$#^   9 – 0     15 – 0  
No. 10 Ohio State   8 – 1     11 – 2  
No. 13 Penn State   7 – 2     10 – 3  
Maryland   4 – 5     8 – 5  
Rutgers   3 – 6     7 – 6  
Michigan State   2 – 7     4 – 8  
Indiana   1 – 8     3 – 9  
West Division
No. 24 Iowa xy   7 – 2     10 – 4  
Northwestern   5 – 4     8 – 5  
Wisconsin   5 – 4     7 – 6  
Illinois   3 – 6     5 – 7  
Minnesota   3 – 6     6 – 7  
Nebraska   3 – 6     5 – 7  
Purdue   3 – 6     4 – 8  
Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 2, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 13th edition of the Big Ten Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the conference for the 2023 season. The game began at 8:17 p.m. EST and aired on Fox, featuring the West Division champion Iowa Hawkeyes and the East Division champion Michigan Wolverines. Michigan won 26–0 to secure their third consecutive outright Big Ten title.[1] Head coach Jim Harbaugh became the first Big Ten coach to achieve that feat. The division era ended with the East Division going 10–0 in title games since the East-West format change in 2014.

Teams[edit]

The 2023 Big Ten Championship Game featured the Iowa Hawkeyes, champions of the West Division, and the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the East Division. This was the third Big Ten title game appearance for both programs, The Hawkeyes were 0–2 in previous appearances, having most recently lost to Michigan in 2021. The Wolverines were 2–0 in previous appearances, having also defeated Purdue in 2022.

Michigan Wolverines[edit]

Main article: 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan entered the game at 12–0 (9–0 BIG) and was designated as the visiting team. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Michigan and Ohio State both had undefeated conference records at 8–0 going into the 2023 edition of The Game in Ann Arbor, thus making the game a de facto East division championship. The Wolverines won the game 30–24, and clinched the division title for the third consecutive season.[2] A win would mean a third consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff the Wolverines.

Iowa Hawkeyes[edit]

Main article: 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Iowa entered the game at 10–2 (7–2 BIG) and was designated as the home team. The Hawkeyes clinched a spot in the game following their win over Illinois on November 18.[3] They have not won the Big Ten since 2004 or outright since 1985. Iowa also hasn't defeated Michigan since 2016, going 0–3 since a 14–13 walk-off over the No. 2 Wolverines at Kinnick Stadium. They entered the game a 22.5-point underdog.

Game summary[edit]

2023 Big 10 Championship Game
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (12–0, 9–0) vs. No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes (10–2, 7–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 2 Michigan 10 0 10626
No. 16 Iowa 0 0 000

at Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN

  • Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023
  • Game time: 8:17 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Indoors
  • Game attendance: 67,842
  • Referee: Jeff Servinski
  • TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (6:01) MICH - James Turner 35-yard field goal – 13 plays, 52 yards, 7:35 (Michigan 3–0)
  • (1:07) MICH - Blake Corum 2-yard run (James Turner Kick) – 2 plays, 5 yards, 0:39 (Michigan 10–0)
Third quarter
  • (9:09) MICH - Blake Corum 6-yard run (James Turner Kick) – 1 play, 6 yards, 0:05 (Michigan 17–0)
  • (0:22) MICH - James Turner 46-yard field goal – 9 plays, 28 yards, 4:46 (Michigan 20–0)
Fourth quarter
  • (9:14) MICH - James Turner 36-yard field goal – 4 plays, –3 yards, 1:43 (Michigan 23–0)
  • (3:38) MICH - James Turner 50-yard field goal – 6 plays, 23 yards, 3:46 (Michigan 26–0)
Statistics MICH IOWA
First downs 13 7
Plays–yards 64–213 56–155
Rushes–yards 66 35
Passing yards 147 120
Passing: comp–att–int 22–30–0 18–32–0
Time of possession 36:32 23:28
Team Category Player Statistics
Michigan Passing J. J. McCarthy 22/30, 147 yards
Rushing Blake Corum 16 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Cornelius Johnson 9 receptions, 64 yards
Iowa Passing Deacon Hill 18/32, 120 yards
Rushing Leshon Williams 9 carries, 25 yards
Receiving Addison Ostrenga 7 receptions, 50 yards

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa 26-0 for Big Ten title, likely to claim top playoff seed". AP News. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Fornelli, Tom (November 25, 2023). "Wolverines win third straight in thriller to keep playoff bid alive". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Iowa clinches Big Ten Championship Game spot with win over Illinois, will face Michigan-Ohio State winner". CBS Sports. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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