– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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INDIANAPOLIS — For 30 minutes, the madness that descended on the almost-cemented order of the final College Football Playoff rankings this was getting ready to wreak havoc in America’s Midwest, where the undefeated Michigan Wolverines were almost drawn level with the latest upset-minded opponent trying to create championship chaos. The Wolverines then turned their final 30 minutes of Big Ten play in 2022 into a showcase as to why they may be better equipped to become college football’s national champions than last year’s conference championship team that competed for the ultimate prize.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw for three touchdowns while running back Donovan Edwards ran for 185 yards and a score as the Wolverines pulled away from the Purdue Boilermakers 43-22 to win their second consecutive Big Ten Football Championship Game inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan’s defense came up big in the final 30 minutes as well, coming up with two interceptions of Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell and holding the Boilermakers’ offense to just one touchdown and five field goals.
After a 17-year conference title drought, the Wolverines are now outright Big Ten champions in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992.
The win all but guarantees Michigan a spot in the College Football Playoff, as both they and No. 1 Georgia won their respective conference championship games this weekend. Michigan’s opponent, which looked to be No. 3 TCU, is much more in doubt after TCU and No. 4 USC both lost in their title games going into Selection Sunday.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday evening’s game, with all photos taken by Detroit-area photographer Aaron J. Thornton. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 29 pictures in total.
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