SITTING IN A MIGHTY TACO, NY – Even travelling out to Buffalo for a wedding and a Bills win won’t stop me from writing this week’s column!
What transpired Saturday was the last thing the College Football Playoff selection committee wanted.
An Ohio State victory over Michigan in the Shoe, a Penn State blowout over Michigan State and a definitive win by Washington has made for a whole lot of fun this weekend.
What is the selection committee going to do in regards to the Big Ten and Pac-12?
That is the question we’re going to delve into in the latest edition of Ebs’ One Big Thing.
First, I would like to address the elephant in the room: Ohio State.
There is absolutely no way the Buckeyes don’t make the Playoff. They have beaten Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Nebraska this season. That’s a better resume than Alabama.
There is a debate where they will slot, however. You can make a case for No. 4 since they will likely be the only non-champion, but they’re still the second-best team in the country. Come Sunday I believe they’ll be ranked third, behind Alabama and Clemson. Neither Bama or Clemson should have more than one loss.
And yes, Alabama and Clemson are in. It would a major upset if either team lost its championship game.
The fun is between the Big Ten and Pac-12 title games.
Let me ask you a question: Would the champion from the conference that has four teams in the top 7 of the CFP rankings be more deserving of a spot? Or would a champion with a better record from a conference that has six teams with no more than five wins deserve the last spot more?
To me, it’s somewhat cut-and-dry. If Penn State beats Wisconsin Saturday, the Nittany Lions should be in over the likely Washington squad. How can Ohio State be in the CFP when Penn State is not. The Lions did beat OSU after all.
If Wisconsin wins, things could be much different. The Badgers fell at home to Ohio State back in November, so this would open up a lane for the Huskies. I just see it as the only possible lane. Because Ohio State has the head-to-head advantage over the Badgers, and Wisconsin would have two losses, Washington would have a significantly stronger case than if Penn State had won.
If this was a different year, and the Pac-12 was much stronger, it would be easy for Washington to make the Playoff regardless of the Big Ten champ. But when four of the lone six programs that have played for a Pac-12 title finish the season with no more than two conference wins, it’s extremely hard to make a good case for the Pac-12 winner, especially if it’s not the Huskies.
Boy, will Saturday and Sunday be fun! How do you think it will play out?
Come back Tuesday for Bangin’ Ben Whitney and please follow us on Twitter at @ByDJEberle & @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
The great Ted Lasso. I heard he was a finalist to take over the USMNT.
