The Big Ten finally has a showcase event to cap its football season, kicking off the inaugural Big Ten championship game this Saturday at 8:17 p.m. ET in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with Legends Division champ Michigan State playing Leaders Division champ Wisconsin.

Intriguing matchups abound in the Big Ten title game. How will Michigan State’s stellar defense deal with Wisconsin’s super-charged ground game? Can the Badgers slow down the hot hand of Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins? Will Michigan State be able to run against an underrated Wisconsin defense? I talked to some Big Ten coaches to get their frank, off-the-record comments about how they attacked and defended the two Big Ten teams that will meet on Saturday night in Indianapolis in the inaugural Big Ten title game.

You have questions, I have answers in my weekly mailbag leading up to the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship. Questions about Michigan State’s All-Big Ten picks, Big Ten expansion and, of course, the league title game highlight this week’s mail bag.

Yesterday, I compared the offensive and defensive lines, offensive backfields and receiving corps for Michigan State and Wisconsin as they prepare for the Big Ten title game (read the post). Today, I look at the linebackers, defensive backfields, special teams, coaching staffs and intangibles for the Spartans and Badgers. Which team holds the edge in each category?

With the Big Ten championship game matchup set, it’s time to start looking at Wisconsin and Michigan State from a unit by unit standpoint. Who has the edge on the offensive line? Defensive line? Offensive backfield? Receiving corps? We take a look today.

Mark Dantonio and Bret Bielema have met five times as head coaches of Michigan State and Wisconsin. The former owns a 3-2 advantage in the competitive and entertaining head-to-head battle, including victories in three of the last four matchups. The two, of course, will meet for a sixth time in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game on Saturday. Before that happens, BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina takes a look back at the last five encounters. Plus, listen to the latest coaches’ teleconference.

BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart chatted with readers Monday (check out his previous chats in the BTN.com chat archives).  Look back at the Q&A he conducted with Big Ten football fans and be sure to read his work all week long.

P4RB. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? It doesn’t mean anything to you. But it means everything to Michigan State. Its meaning: Prepare For the Rose Bowl. And it has become a motivating acronym for the Spartans in their improbable quest for the Big Ten championship and trip to Pasadena.

So, the stage is set. It will be Michigan State, representing the Legends Division, and Wisconsin, representing the Leaders Division, in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game on Saturday in Indianapolis. The two teams met earlier this season, with the Spartans winning a last-second thriller on Oct. 22. To help preview the rematch, BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart considers most important numbers for each team in this post.