Sporting News lists two ways B1G can shakeup College Football Playoff picture
Most College Football Playoff predictions haven’t come with much suspense this preseason.
It’s Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and USC. Maybe throw Oklahoma, Auburn or Penn State into the mix. That’s about as wild as it’s gotten. Not to sound too redundant, but the perceived playoff picture has been predictably predictable.
Sporting News writer Bill Bender wanted to try and shake that up a little bit, though. Bender provided his thoughts on a few scenarios that could rock the Playoff picture and make the selection committee’s job a little harder than expected.
Two of those scenarios involved the B1G.
The first was Northwestern making a push in the B1G West, as they are likely the top challenger to Wisconsin’s throne. Bender offered his thoughts on that:
Remember the Northwestern bandwagon at March Madness last year? Constant camera shots of Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The crying kid at the Gonzaga game. That unconditional love will return if the Wildcats throw a wrench in the Big Ten West race, which Pat Fitzgerald’s team is more than capable of doing around star running back Justin Jackson. If the Wildcats get into November with a chance to win the Big Ten championship, then that bandwagon will fill up again. Can the “smart school” really crack the College Football Playoff?
Remember that nightmare situation that was looming last fall? Where Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State could’ve all ended the year with a single B1G loss? That’s not out of the cards in 2017.
Here’s what was written on that potential issue:
Remember last season when one-loss Ohio State made the playoff over two-loss Penn State, despite the fact the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship? Well, try this “What-if” on for size” What if Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State all finish 11-1, with identical 1-1 records in their Big Ten East round robin? That’s entirely possible and probably a scenario the conference doesn’t want to think about, given those are their three best playoff contenders. Would Ohio State — the preseason pick in the Big Ten and a school with a 61-6 record under Urban Meyer — somehow be left out? Our best guess if that happens: The winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game goes to Indianapolis.
Both scenarios are interesting and could potentially cause an issue in the B1G, as well on the national stage.
Who wouldn’t love a little more chaos in the College Football Playoff race?