Penn St-Wisconsin winner in Big Ten game no lock for playoff

Well, because the victor of this mega-showdown could end up playing in the College Football Playoff. The victor of this contest certainly has a case.

Penn State tailback Saquon Barkley left the Michigan State game in the third quarter after suffering a right-ankle injury.

MI became the fourth ranked opponent Ohio State has defeated this season, a resume that includes three wins over teams presently ranked in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff poll.

This week, College Gameday chose to go with the championship game with the two highest ranked teams, being No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 7 Penn State facing each other.

While Michigan and Ohio State, I suppose, both have a shot at making the four-team playoff, I don’t think the committee is going to send that message about non-conference champions.

Harbaugh didn’t agree. Michigan’s second-year coach didn’t agree with numerous calls as he railed against the officiating afterward with, to use his pet phrase, “an enthusiasm unknown to mankind”. With that said, both contests were close. The Buckeyes, ranked second in the country, scored 30 points; The Wolverines, ranked third, scored 27. They also lost to the Buckeyes by seven points, but that battle went to overtime. They remained focused, though, and knocked off the Gophers, 31-17.

In the painful moments after his MI team lost to Ohio State in a double-overtime thriller, Jim Harbaugh struggled to see the big picture. If Penn State wins the conference, that’s a bit more problematic, but you could still make the case that the Buckeyes’ body of work is superior, even with a three-point loss in Happy Valley. (They shared championships in 2005 and 2008.) The Badgers haven’t won the trophy since 2012.

Time will tell, and craziness will likely ensue.

Asked whether league championship games are as important as they once were now that a four-team playoff field is selected, Chryst made it clear that isn’t a debate he cares to join. The Buckeyes, on their next five possessions, mustered only 66 total yards and again went scoreless.

Coming in after a monstrous performance in the game against Indiana, Michigan senior running back De’Veon Smith would have been a difference maker with a similar performance against OSU.

“Hopefully we’ll play our best game of the year”, Huskies Coach Chris Petersen said.

If nothing else, this fall’s jumble has strengthened the argument for expanding the playoff to eight teams.

The score very well could be tied at 10 going into the half, but that’s why they are called bold predictions. After beating Michigan State, Penn State has at worst put itself in position to be a factor in the final rankings – and that’s a pretty huge understatement.

The first came on a pick-six by Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, and the second came after another interception and penalties gave the Buckeyes first-and-goal at the four-yard line. The four-team playoff field will be revealed Sunday after this weekend’s conference championships.

Curtis Samuel swept in for a 15-yard touchdown after Ohio State barely converted a fourth-and-1 as the second-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 3 MI 30-27 in double overtime Saturday in one of the greatest games ever played by the Big Ten’s most storied rivals.

No matter which team comes out on top, will it be enough for the playoff committee? For much of the Nittany Lions’ 10-2 campaign the question of “is Penn State really this good?” has followed in its wake.