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In its inaugural season as a member of the Big Ten, Oregon has officially clinched a spot in the conference title game -- on a Tuesday. The Ducks, again No. 1 in this week's College Football Playoff rankings, appeared to have clinched a berth in the championship when they beat Wisconsin on Saturday to go to 11-0 this season and 8-0 in conference play. The Big Ten, however, did not confirm that was the case until Tuesday afternoon. "Following a comprehensive evaluation of all possible scenarios over the final two weeks of regular season play across all 18 teams, the Big Ten Conference determined there are no conditions whereby the Ducks do not finish No. 1 or No. 2 [in the league]," the conference said in a news release. The conference also released a separate document outlining the 10 tiebreaker scenarios that could occur over the remaining games. The three teams vying for the other spot in the title game are Indiana (7-0 in conference play), Ohio State (6-1, with its only loss to Oregon) and Penn State (6-1, with its only loss to Ohio State). Each of those teams has two conference games remaining, and Ohio State and Indiana face off this weekend. In eight of the 10 tiebreaker scenarios, Oregon would face either Indiana or Ohio State in a rematch of their thrilling October matchup that the Ducks won 32-31. If the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes, they are bound for the title game even if they lose to Purdue the following week. If the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers, they are in unless they lose to Michigan in the season finale. Penn State can meet Oregon in the title game only if the Nittany Lions win out and get help on other fronts. Penn State would also need Indiana to lose to Ohio State and Purdue, and Ohio State to lose to Michigan. Alternatively, it would need Indiana to lose to Ohio State and beat Purdue while the cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents for Penn State remains higher than Indiana's and Ohio State loses to Michigan. Oregon is on a bye this week, then will face Washington on Nov. 30 in its final game of the regular season as the Ducks try to record an undefeated regular season for the second time in program history (2010). If Oregon beats Washington, it will also clinch an outright berth as the No. 1 seed in the title game. The Big Ten title game is set for Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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