Road to Omaha: How can Nebraska make the Big Ten tournament?

The reigning Big Ten champs are in a precarious position down the stretch of the conference season, but according to Nebraska coaches and players, the "playoffs" - must-win mode - began last weekend.

The Huskers secured a much-needed series win over Maryland to take the first step toward qualifying for the Big Ten tournament in Omaha, but there are 12 other teams vying for the eight spots in the field.

Here's everything you need to know about the Road to Omaha (Big Ten tournament edition).

T-1. Michigan (14-3)

T-1. Minnesota (14-3)

3. Purdue (13-4)

Michigan didn't lose a Big Ten conference game until April 27. For a team that struggled with youth infusion during non-conference play, the Wolverines have had a blistering run since late March.

Minnesota certainly helped its Big Ten regular season title chances with an impressive sweep of nationally-ranked Indiana last weekend. The Gophers are pitching teams out of the ballpark, and one year after letting the regular season crown slip from their grasp on the final weekend, John Anderson's guys have a chance to win it again.

Purdue has been the surprise team of the Big Ten this season, but the Boilermakers should breathe a sigh of relief that they've already locked up their spot. Purdue lost series to Indiana and Minnesota and still have to play Ohio State and Michigan, but sweeps against Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern punched the ticket to Omaha.

12 wins is the Magic Number.

No. 4 Illinois, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Iowa, No. 7 Indiana and No. 8 Michigan State are currently in the field. All five teams are short of the "Magic Number" (12 wins with 5 or fewer games remaining) to make the tournament.

No. 9 Rutgers, No. 10 Nebraska and No. 11 Maryland are still very much in contention for the final five spots. Here's what each team has left on the schedule:

1. Going 4-2 is necessary.

Nebraska (and other Big Ten teams) are in an interesting position because of cancelled games this year. The Huskers have played 16 and will only end up playing 22 of 24 games, which makes the "games back" metric a little more hypothetical than winning percentage.

With a 4-2 record on the final two weekends, Nebraska would end up 10-12. Fortunately for the Huskers, tiebreakers don't come into play against Michigan State (17 games played) and Rutgers (18 games played), both of which beat NU in weekend series.

A 10-12 record would currently put the Big Red in 9th place, but a tough final two weekends for Michigan State and Rutgers certainly helps Nebraska. Maryland is looming a half game back, and the Terps look like a larger threat to usurp the Huskers in the final standings, but a road series at Indiana the final weekend could shake things up. Maryland needs to win one more game than Nebraska in the final two weekends.

2. Going 5-1 would likely lock it up.

Depending on which foe the sweep comes against, Nebraska could work its way up to the 7-seed or even the 6-seed in Omaha. The Huskers likely won't pass Iowa (the Hawkeyes have a cakewalk in the final two weekends) but both Indiana and Illinois still have to win games to make it into the field.

With Nebraska at 11-11, Michigan State would need to win four games against Minnesota and Ohio State - both top four teams in the conference - to keep the Huskers at bay. Even Indiana would be sweating it out; with a series loss to Nebraska (in this scenario) the Hoosiers would need to win or sweep their final series to lock up a Big Ten tournament spot (Indiana and Michigan State did not play in the regular season).

3. Going 3-3 makes it a long shot, but stranger things have happened.

Nebraska finishing .500 on the final two weekends would put its conference record at 9-13. The team with the worst record to ever make the Big Ten tournament came in 2015 - Nebraska at 9-14.

For the 2018 Huskers to pull off similar bracket magic, fans should first be pulling for Goldy Gopher to bulldoze his remaining competition. Both No. 8 Michigan State and No. 9 Rutgers face Minnesota in the final two weekends. If those series turn into an automatic three losses for the Spartans and Knights, it puts Nebraska in a much better position.

Second, Maryland cannot go better than 3-3. The cleanest way for this to happen, concerning Nebraska, would be an Indiana sweep of the Terps on the final weekend. The Huskers still may need Maryland to do some damage to Rutgers.

Third, concerning Rutgers, the ideal scenario for Nebraska is that the Knights pull off a 2-1 series win at Maryland and get swept by Minnesota. That would put the Knights at 9-14, force Maryland to sweep Indiana for a shot at the tournament, and put Nebraska in position.

Michigan State is playing its worst baseball at a very bad time in the season, coming off a series loss to last-place Penn State. The Spartans need to win two games against two of the Big Ten's best to feel even a little bit safe with the Knights, Huskers and Terps looming.

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Nebraska has to climb two more daunting hills to get to Omaha and a towering mountain to win the Big Ten title, but stranger things have happened in college baseball.