{"id":51293,"date":"2017-11-08T07:03:34","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T07:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=51293"},"modified":"2017-11-08T07:03:34","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T07:03:34","slug":"college-football-playoff-rankings-big-tens-big-hope-wisconsin-outside-looking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/college-football-playoff-rankings-big-tens-big-hope-wisconsin-outside-looking.html","title":{"rendered":"College Football Playoff rankings: Big Ten’s big hope, Wisconsin, on outside looking in"},"content":{"rendered":"

College Football Playoff rankings: Big Ten’s big hope, Wisconsin, on outside looking in<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

College Football Playoff rankings: Big Ten’s big hope, Wisconsin, on outside looking in:-In the span of one hour on Saturday, the Big Ten Conference went from holding multiple avenues to the College Football Playoff to just one. College football\u2019s championship push can be cruel to single teams, but rarely has an individual weekend caused so much havoc for one conference in particular.<\/span><\/p>\n

First fell Ohio State, which saw its hopes of another Playoff berth disintegrate under Iowa\u2019s 55-point barrage \u2014 the worst loss of Urban Meyer\u2019s illustrious coaching career and the Buckeyes\u2019 most lopsided in-conference defeat since a 63-14 loss to Penn State in 1994. Penn State\u2019s already slim path to a national semifinal was erased by Michigan State\u2019s last-second win, the Nittany Lions\u2019 second loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ohio State is done, as is Penn State. Michigan already was eliminated from the Playoff chase. The second round of Playoff rankings, released Tuesday evening, reflected this fact: OSU fell seven spots to 13th and Penn State seven spots to 14th, while the Spartans, who can win the East Division and conference title but are not a valid contender for a top-four finish, came in at 12th.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no coincidence that the Southeastern Conference\u2019s recent slide \u2014 with the exceptions of Alabama, college football\u2019s gold standard, and Georgia, a new national player \u2014 was joined by the Big Ten\u2019s rise in national reputation. Once an annual punchline come postseason play, the league has staked claim to standing alongside the SEC as the best conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision, if not ahead of the pack.<\/span><\/p>\n

One nightmarish Saturday shouldn\u2019t change that fact: Big Ten play in general is as good as its been in years. In a more immediate sense, however, the new Playoff rankings show the Big Ten to be one of college football\u2019s great disappointments, as a conference that touted several legitimate Playoff contenders but now must pins its hopes on one team in specific.<\/span><\/p>\n

That team is unbeaten Wisconsin, which rose to No. 8 in this week\u2019s poll after a sluggish win against Indiana. The Badgers aren\u2019t perfect, whether in performance or r\u00e9sum\u00e9; this is a team with flaws on the field and off. But they represent the only chance the Big Ten holds to claim a semifinal berth for the fourth time in as many years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wisconsin\u2019s biggest issue doubles as its greatest asset: a schedule that raises eyebrows for its lack of impressive wins also is to thank for the Badgers\u2019 unblemished record. To date, Wisconsin owns one victory against a Power Five opponent with a winning record, No. 25 Northwestern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a concern of the committee as we look to rank the very best teams in the country,\u201d said Playoff selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt. \u201cWhen the margins of separation are as razor-thin as they are, strength of schedule factors into these conversations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

None of the Badgers\u2019 past four Big Ten wins have come against an opponent with greater than four wins. Beyond the Wildcats, just one win has come against a team with a winning record \u2014 Wisconsin topped Florida Atlantic, the potential champions in Conference USA and one of the surging teams from the Group of Five, in September.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now compare that r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with that of another unbeaten, No. 18 Central Florida. Both teams played Maryland, and both won handily \u2014 the Badgers by 25 points and the Knights by 28 points. But UCF can tout four wins against opponents with a winning record: Florida International, Navy, SMU and, most of all, No. 22 Memphis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTheir strength of schedule is going to continue to be a challenge in positioning them higher,\u201d Hocutt said of UCF.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet it\u2019s easy to make the case that in terms of overall strength of schedule, UCF leads Wisconsin. That should change. The Badgers face No. 20 Iowa on Saturday, and then Michigan a week later. Most of all, Wisconsin will face one of Ohio State or Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game. By the end of the regular season, the Badgers could have multiple wins against teams ranked in the Playoff rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery team in our top 25, as well as every team on the cusp of being ranked, has the opportunity either to strengthen or weaken their r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in the weeks ahead,\u201d Hocutt said. \u201cWith that being said, it\u2019s hard to predict \u2014 it\u2019s impossible to predict \u2014 what\u2019s going to happen in the coming weeks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Or maybe not. A loss to Wisconsin would be Iowa\u2019s fourth on the year, meaning the Hawkeyes might not end the regular season with a national ranking. Likewise with Michigan, which could enter the postseason with three or four losses. Beating Minnesota will do nothing for the Badgers. And here\u2019s another nightmare scenario for the Big Ten to consider: Ohio State beats the Spartans this Saturday but loses to Michigan on the final Saturday of November, meaning Wisconsin\u2019s opponent in the conference title game will have at least three losses.<\/span><\/p>\n

As if things couldn\u2019t get worse for the Big Ten. Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez, formerly a member of the selection committee, already has laid the groundwork for including an unbeaten Power Five team in the top four \u2014 even if, as in the Badgers\u2019 case, the overall r\u00e9sum\u00e9 trails in comparison to fellow Playoff contenders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that would be very difficult to do,\u201d Alvarez told ESPN. \u201cThere’s no part of me that says if you go undefeated as a Power Five and win your conference championship, and you’re not going to be in the final four? I don’t see that. That would shock me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be shocked. Instead, be ready for Wisconsin to be a new litmus test as the Playoff enters its fourth year of existence. It was built to represent the entire FBS, or at least the Power Five conferences, and to \u201cselect the best teams,\u201d per the selection committee\u2019s protocol. Records obviously come into play, as do conference championships. But in the case of Wisconsin, would they be enough?<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaaf\/2017\/11\/07\/college-football-playoff-rankings-big-ten-big-hope-wisconsin-precarious-position\/841442001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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