Washington will play Alabama in semifinal

For this exercise, forget about allegiances. The Badgers blew that three-touchdown lead and James Franklin’s Nittany Lions took home a Big Ten title for the first time since the division in the conference were created in 2011. Their only loss was to USC – a team Alabama defeated in its season opener, 52-6. Wiped out. Blown out. So what. Lots of caterwauling will be done about them and how “conference championships don’t matter”.

“I value them as much. that’s why you go to work every day”. It feels as if no one can challenge Alabama. Ohio State finished fourth nationally in total defense, allowing 282.3 yards per game, and Clemson was ninth at 313.9.

College Football Playoff chair Kirby Hocutt told ESPN Washington’s one loss weight differently than Penn State’s two losses. The Wolverines might be among the few teams that could hang with the Tide.

Washington 12-1, beat Colorado 41-10 in the Pac-12 title game in Santa Clara, Calif. It’s going to be a real challenge for Pat Elflein and the rest of that Ohio State offensive line to block the Clemson front, but the Tigers have given up their share of points.

Penn State was fifth, despite winning the Big Ten championship, beating Wisconsin late Saturday night. Penn State played Pittsburgh, Temple, and Kent State in the conference and lost to the Panthers. Ohio State routed Oklahoma in Norman, edged Wisconsin at Camp Randall and annihilated Nebraska at The Shoe before taking down the Maize and Blue.

Both could make the playoff at the expense of a current top four team.

Commence debate – the pairings are in, and Penn State and MI are out.

Personally, I believe Ohio State should get in, and I think they will get in.

I realize this decision will be very hard for the selection committee, as they have never been put in this situation before.

Penn State was ranked No. 5 and MI was sixth. One loss they were not competitive in that game and the other loss was to an 8-4 team.

Clemson has two things going for it.

“It’s been incredible”, Meyer told ESPN. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is an elite player. They were completely left out of the Big Ten title game, and the team who won it, Penn State, beat the Buckeyes in a head-to-head meeting. But it has happened in college football before the NCAA was formed in the 1930s – Yale won 15 games in 1889 and a record 16 games in 1894. Alabama is getting in.

The committee set a precedent in 2014 by ousting then No. 3 TCU for conference champion Ohio State. He took the Broncos from directional MI obscurity to an undefeated season.