Ohio State's second half surge wins Big Ten Championship; playoff spot

Ohio State running back Trey Sermon finally had his breakout game as a Buckeye. The Oklahoma transfer ran for a Big Ten Championship game record 331 yards and two touchdowns as No.4 Ohio State staged a comeback to defeat No. 15 Northwestern 22-10.

The Buckeyes trailed 10-6 at the half but capitalized on Northwestern's turnovers in the second half. After not coughing up the ball at all in the first two quarters, the Wildcats turned the ball over three times in the latter stages of the game.

After teams traded interceptions and missed field goals in the third quarter, the Buckeyes finally got a touchdown with 2:41 left in the quarter. Sermon accounted for 56 yards on the drive and finished it with a nine yard touchdown run. Peyton Ramsey would throw an interception on the ensuing drive, but Ohio State could not capitalize.

Early in the fourth, Pete Werner recovered a Ramsey fumble to give the Buckeyes the ball at the Northwestern 40 yard line. The Wildcats' defense managed to hold the OSU offense to a field goal to keep it a one possession game. However, Northwestern couldn't manage much more on offense, and Ohio State capped another long drive with another Sermon touchdown to seal the game.

Northwestern will play Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. Ohio State will play Clemson in the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff. Both games are scheduled for New Year's Day.