The Big Ten Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, in Indianapolis, where No. 1 Oregon will face No. 3 Penn State for the conference football title. The Ducks enter the game with a perfect 12-0 record, while the Nittany Lions are 11-1 with their only loss coming against No. 6 Ohio State.

Regardless of the outcome of the Big Ten title, both Oregon and Penn State are almost certain to qualify for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. So what is really at stake here?

With both teams likely to make the playoffs, the outcome of the conference championship game will depend on the seeding and the various advantages there.

In the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, the four highest-seeded conference champions will be seeds 1-4 and those four teams will receive a bye in the first round. The winner of the Big Ten title will most likely be among the four top-seeded conference champions, so that’s a notable advantage.

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Whoever ends up losing the Big Ten title game should make sure it’s a very close loss. With a narrow points lead, the loser would likely be No. 5, 6 or 7, meaning the team would still have to play a first-round game but would have home-field advantage.

Basically, Oregon and Penn State are playing for a first-round bye, and as long as it’s not a bad loss, the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game would still get a favorable playoff spot.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: What’s at stake for the College Football Playoff in the Big Ten Championship Game?