"Such matchups are rare -- even more so during conference championship weekend. In fact, there have been only two other national No. 1 vs. No. 2 conference championship matchups since the dawn of conference title games: Florida vs. Alabama in 2008 and 2009 (Alabama was No. 1 in 2008, and Florida was No. 1 in 2009 -- interestingly, the top-ranked team lost both times)."
"In addition to deciding the Big Ten title and the top overall seed in the College Football Playoff, the game will also mark a showdown between the top two teams in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. The Crimson Tide's win in the most recent top-two conference title showdown set up a BCS championship trip that would mark the start of the Alabama dynasty under Nick Saban. That wasn't the only major plotline occurring during conference championship week in 2009, however."
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana will meet in the Big Ten championship to decide the conference title and the top overall College Football Playoff seed. Top-two conference championship matchups are exceptionally rare, with only two prior instances occurring in 2008 and 2009 between Florida and Alabama, and the top-ranked team lost both times. Alabama's win in the 2009 top-two title game set up a BCS championship trip and helped launch the Alabama dynasty under Nick Saban. The 2009 SEC title game included multiple future NFL players such as Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Marcell Dareus, Mark Barron, Kareem Jackson and Joe Haden.
Read at ESPN.com
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