Badgers get bump, but big showdown looms
For the first time this season, the Big Ten has cracked the College Football Playoff top four.
And for the first time in the four- year history of the playoff, we’ve got a tangible picture of a playoff that doesn’t feature big, bad Alabama.
Wisconsin, the lone Power Five unbeaten team at 12- 0, moved into the No. 4 spot Tuesday. The Badgers trail No. 3 Oklahoma ( 11- 1), No. 2 Auburn ( 10- 2) and No. 1 Clemson ( 11- 0) and are set to face No. 8 Ohio State ( 10- 2) in a Big Ten title game Saturday in Indianapolis that will make or break their season.
A handful of takeaways:
Will the Buckeyes get into the final fourwith a victory overWisconsin?
Too soon to tell. There will be furious speculation and arguing over OSU’s case vs. No. 5 Alabama’s.
The Buckeyes, despite earlier lopsided losses to Oklahoma and Iowa, will be the champ of a conference that has been a part of every playoff. The Crimson Tide ( 11- 1), who were beaten soundly by Auburn in the regular- season finale, didn’t even win the SECWest.
Mybest guess
The committee will opt for Ohio State in this scenario even though, deep down, most of the members wouldn’t have the stomach to pick the Buckeyes to beat the Tide on a neutral field.
Whoelse can get in that isn’t in the four right now?
No. 6 Georgia ( 11- 1) stands poised to steal Auburn’s spot by beating the Tigers in a rematch in the SEC title game in Atlanta. Auburn is the only twice- beaten team in the current four— no need to apologize for falling 14- 6 at Clemson in September— but it picked up enormous momentum with November victories over the Bulldogs and Alabama.
No. 7Miami ( 10- 1) gets Clemson in the ACC title game in Charlotte with, it would seem, a playoff spot at stake for the winner.
Sorry, but that’s probably it. If Oklahoma falls to No. 11 TCU ( 10- 2) in the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas, that league most likely will be shut out.
It would send shock waves throughout college football if the committee were to pick the ACC winner, the SEC winner, the Big Ten winner ( let’s call it Wisconsin for the purposes of this hypothetical) and then the Horned Frogs over Alabama.
What else?
The Pac- 12 is toast. So is 11- 0 UCF, not that the 14thranked, non- Power Five Knights have to apologize to anyone. … The SEC is the only league with any shot whatsoever to get two teams into the playoff. ( Don’t even think about it, Wisconsin.) … Congrats to Northwestern, the No. 21 team in the playoff rankings. It probably feels better to theWildcats than Notre Dame’s No. 15 does to the Irish.