COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's been a year of sacrifice for college football and the Big Ten Conference, and the Buckeyes have five wins through mid-December to show for it.

They'll have the chance to add some hardware on Saturday.

"They’ve had to overcome, they can handle adversity, they can handle disappointment and they just keep moving forward," head coach Ryan Day said Wednesday. "I think it’s given them great perspective."

Day noted there's a serious tone about the team as the week has gone on, present in older players more so and that younger Buckeyes are navigating their first ways through a week of preparation for a championship game.

The Buckeyes' ability to tackle difficulty has been challenged in 2020, but to Day, it's made their maturity the most special reason behind the success of the fourth-ranked team.

The Buckeyes have adapted to changing expectations this last half of the year, from a full season to conference-only to an eight-game schedule.

Each week has been a stepping stone that Ohio State has crossed on its way to its fourth-consecutive Big Ten Championship game. The senior class of Buckeyes have earned a considerable amount of success in their time in Columbus, but none of which from this season has come like others, according to Baron Browning.

“I feel like it hasn’t been what nobody expected," Browning said. "A little weird as far as expecting to play and then having games canceled. I feel like this year helped me appreciate every game. This game Saturday is not promised, just cherish it while I can.”

Browning will compete in his second conference championship game on Saturday after recording two tackles against No. 10 Wisconsin a year ago.

The fourth-year senior linebacker said he feels there's a lot at stake in the upcoming title game against No. 14 Northwestern, and that each Saturday players have to prove themselves.

“I feel like that’s the mindset of all the other seniors, just cherish each other," Browning said. "Lean on one another and try to make the most of our last few moments as a Buckeye.”

Even in the rockiest of tides, the Buckeyes' ship has righted the path as they've banded together.

Browning and Ohio State have proven even when sudden change arises - including a COVID-19 outbreak and having played every other week since Nov. 7 - each member of the team can rise to the occasion.

"Everything we went through this year we went through together," Browning said. "We never wavered, we never broke apart. Coach Day always kept us together, and we kept getting stronger and stronger as a team.

“We’re just trying to go out there, get the ‘W’ and chase our fourth Big Ten title."

Day said to not count out the younger Buckeyes, either.

Even if a player is stepping onto the field for their first time in a Big Ten title game, Day said it's come from the diligent work of grinding through no spring practices, heading home in the summer and returning for a season unlike any other.

"They’ve had to grow up fast," Day said. "It’s like anything else, when you go through difficult times when you’re young you have to grow up fast. It’s amazing to me what they’ve all been through."

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There will be obvious differences between Saturday's Big Ten Championship game and last season's. First, the game will kickoff at noon and not in primetime, and Day said the Buckeyes have practiced earlier in the day to give them a head start.

Fans will not be in the stands of Lucas Oil Stadium, either. Day anticipates the scene will resemble the NFL Scouting Combine, which is also held at the venue.

Ohio State has had to overcome challenges presented each week, and Day is ready to see the fruits of the labor.

“We’re going to do everything we can to bring our own energy," Day said. "The electricity when you walk into that stadium and you take that bus over to Lucas Oil, that’s usually the more electric environments year in and year out. We’re going to try to replicate that the best we can knowing that it will be different.

"I want to make sure we have something to show for all the sacrifice that’s gone on over the last few months because it’s been amazing to me.”