The Call: Big Ten football championship game

No. 13 Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1) vs. No. 5 Ohio State (11-1, 8-0) • 7:17 p.m. today from Indianapolis • TV: Ch. 9

It's going to take some expert channel surfing to fully grasp the unfolding College Football Playoff picture Saturday night.

By the time Ohio State and Wisconsin start the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, at 7:17 p.m., Oregon and Alabama will know their fates. TCU will be in the clubhouse, waiting to see if Baylor makes one last impression on the committee against Kansas State. And Florida State will be just starting the ACC title game against Georgia Tech.

Those are College Football Playoff rankings above, and Ohio State sits at No. 5, meaning it probably needs some help because only four will be chosen. Taking care of the Badgers will be a daunting challenge in itself. Here's the tale of the tape:

Overview

Ohio State: The Buckeyes' lone slip was a 14-point home loss to Virginia Tech. With Braxton Miller's season-ending shoulder injury, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett was making his second career start. He blossomed into a Heisman candidate but broke his ankle last week.

Wisconsin: The Badgers blew a second-half lead to LSU and had their low point in an Oct. 4 loss at Northwestern. Since then, Wisconsin has seven consecutive wins, riding a stout defense and Melvin Gordon, who set a Big Ten record by rushing for 2,260 yards.

Ohio State: Joey Bosa earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors with 20 tackles for loss, including 13.5 sacks. Ezekiel Elliott (1,182 rushing yards) did his best work against two of the nation's top five rushing defenses ­— 154 yards vs. Michigan State, 109 vs. Penn State.

Wisconsin: Gordon has averaged 188.3 rushing yards per game and loves this stage. He was a relative unknown in 2012, when he rushed for 216 yards — on nine carries — in Wisconsin's 70-31 rout of Nebraska. He rushed for 408 yards, then an NCAA record, against the Cornhuskers this year.

Team Strength

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have the nation's fifth-ranked scoring offense (44.1 points per game) and rank 18th in pass-efficiency defense (108.37).

Wisconsin: The Badgers rank second nationally in total defense (260.3 yards per game) and second in rushing offense (334.3 yards per game).

Ohio State: Urban Meyer, who won two national titles at Florida, is 35-3 at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes missed a chance to play for last year's BCS title when they lost the Big Ten title game to Michigan State, 34-24.

Wisconsin: Gary Andersen is 19-6 in two years with the Badgers since getting hired from Utah State. He was the defensive line coach at Utah under Urban Meyer in 2004. Meyer led Ohio State to a 31-24 win over Andersen's Badgers last year.

History Lesson

Ohio State: Ohio State is seeking its 35th Big Ten title and first since 2009. Michigan leads all Big Ten teams with 42 conference championships.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin seeks its 15th Big Ten title and fourth in the past five years. The Badgers also defeated Michigan State in the 2011 title game.

Ohio State: Cardale Jones proves to be a quality replacement at quarterback. He's 6-5, 250 pounds and is more of a lumbering runner. He has a big arm, but accuracy is a question.

Wisconsin: Dave Aranda's 3-4 defense makes it a nightmare for Jones. Joel Stave and a banged-up offensive line also must fend off Ohio State's relentless pressure.

Prediction