Michigan State DB Williamson is practicing but unlikely to play this weekend

Matchup: No. 4 Iowa (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 5 Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) in Big Ten championship game.

The third trip to the Big Ten title game in five years wouldn’t have been possible with another loss, so the Spartans will take the same approach this week they have all season.

Clemson and Alabama, Nos.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in East Lansing, Mich. They have a solid team led by Heisman Trophy candidate Connor Cook, who has 2,730 passing yards with 24 touchdowns; Aaron Burbridge, who has 75 receptions for 1,158 yards and 7 touchdowns; and L.J. Scott, who has close to 700 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Alabama, who will play Florida in the SEC championship game, is next at 79%. The No. 10 spot is a long way to climb, but it would be a better win than any on the Buckeyes’ schedule. The Seminoles rode their 27-2 victory to a No. 9 ranking this week. “I think if you look at all the stats in the Big Ten league games, I don’t think either of us are No. 1 in every single category, but where we are No. 1 is turnover margin and you can see that is probably the biggest stat when it comes to wins and losses”.

Ohio State still has a playoff breath, but it needs a lot of help – on the field Saturday and in the committee room at the Gaylord Texan Resort outside Dallas on Sunday. Checking in behind the Big Ten duo are Oregon, Oklahoma State and Florida. The Buckeyes moved up two places after drubbing rival MI. The Cardinal will face No. 20 USC in the conference championship game Saturday.

The other 11 coaches in the conference, aside from the three mentioned above, have been with their current teams for a combined 17 seasons. Better than Penn State’s front, they are better than Ohio State.

“Not too many curveballs that are going to be thrown”, Iowa linebacker Cole Fisher said. They have a stout defense, and an offense that can control the game well.

-DE Shilique Calhoun has been having another outstanding year and was named first-team All-Big Ten for the third straight season. It could stem from the fact that Iowa played just one AP ranked team all season in then-No. Bastianelli is one of the top blockers in the Big Ten, leading the conference and ranking 21st in the nation with 150 total blocks. 11 and 12, respectively. Michigan State won a program record 13 contests in 2013.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has plenty of respect for Iowa. Other possibilities include the Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Navy dropped eight spots from last week. The secondary has benefited greatly from a stifling pass rush that ranks 16th in team sacks. The winners will play for the national title on January 11 in Glendale, Arizona.

The stakes are huge for both these teams in this 2015 Big Ten championship game which is really a playoff or elimination game. The top remaining team with the highest ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) also will receive a spot.

The biggest issue Iowa concerns itself with is Michigan State.