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Ohio State makes big jump in ESPN’s latest Playoff Predictor
By Paul Harvey
Published:
What a jam-packed weekend Week 5 turned out to be!
The B1G featured a number of interesting games Saturday, headlined by the Ohio State-Penn State showdown that went down to the wire. Northwestern built a 17-0 lead against Michigan but couldn’t hang on for the win. Meanwhile, Purdue’s offense put up 42 points on Nebraska while Wisconsin bounced back with a win over Iowa.
Ohio State emerges from Saturday’s action as the big winner in the conference. Not only did the 27-26 win give the Buckeyes a hand up in the B1G East division race, but it also gave the team a big boost for the CFB Playoff.
According to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor, Ohio State is now tied with Alabama for the best chance to make the four-team Playoff. The Predictor now gives the Buckeyes a 75% chance to make the Playoff and a 23% chance to win the national championship. That mark is second only to Alabama’s 33% chance to win the title.
For the rest of the B1G, Penn State and Michigan are the only other teams given a realistic shot at making the Playoff. The Nittany Lions are given a 16% chance to make it following the loss to the Buckeyes, and the Wolverines are given an 8% chance for the Playoff after beating Northwestern.
Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Iowa are all listed at less than 1% chance to make the Playoff.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.