With a share of the Big Ten title secured, the Wisconsin Badgers are now forced to play the waiting game.

Because of the three-way tie with Michigan State and Ohio State, the final Bowl Championship Series standings will determine which team will represent the Big Ten Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Wisconsin defeated then No. 1 Ohio State, 31-18 on Oct. 16 and lost to Michigan State, 34-24, in the Big Ten opener. Since the Spartans and Buckeyes did not face each other this season, sending the tiebreaker to the BCS rankings.

For now, Wisconsin (11-1, 7-1) holds the seventh spot in the poll, just percentage points of the Buckeyes, who finished their season Saturday with a 37-7 victory over arch-rival Michigan in Columbus.

Wisconsin's lead could grow slightly tonight when the updated standings are released. The Badgers, No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, could benefit from losses by No. 3 Boise State and No. 6 LSU, two teams currently ranked ahead of the Badgers in the BCS poll.

The final BCS standings won't be announced until next Sunday evening.

A number of different possibilities exist for the Badgers' post-season:

Should Bucky head west to Pasadena, an intriguing matchup awaits. Undefeated TCU, out of the Mountain West, is likely to receive a Rose Bowl invitation.

The MWC does not have an automatic qualifier into the BCS, but since the Pac-10 representative, No. 1 Oregon, is expected to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship game, the Rose Bowl is required to select the highest-ranked non-automatic qualifier.

The Horned Frogs wrapped up their season Saturday with a 66-17 victory over New Mexico.

If Ohio State were to jump ahead of Wisconsin, the Badgers could find themselves in New Orleans, facing an SEC opponent in the Sugar Bowl.

And as unlikely as it may be, there is still a slim -- a really, really slim -- chance Wisconsin could sneak into the National Championship Game should either Oregon or No. 2 Auburn lose next week.

A long shot, but nonetheless, still not completely out of the realm of possibility.

No matter the scenario, the Badgers won't officially learn their fate until next week. In the meantime, head coach Bret Bielema's team is savoring the program's first Big Ten crown since 1999.

BCS Top 10: How they fared

No. 1 -- Oregon (def. No. 21 Arizona, 48-29)

No. 2 -- Auburn (def. No. 11 Alabama, 28-27)

No. 3 -- TCU (def. New Mexico, 66-17)

No. 4 -- Boise State (lost to No. 19 Nevada, 34-31/OT)

No. 5 -- LSU (lost to No. 12, Arkansas, 31-23)

No. 6 -- Stanford (def. Oregon State, 38-0)

No. 7 -- Wisconsin (def. Northwestern, 70-23)

No. 8 -- Ohio State (def. Michigan, 37-7)

No. 9 -- Oklahoma State (lost to No. 13 Oklahoma, 47-41)

No. 10 -- Michigan State (def. Penn State, 28-22)