Drama. We have drama.
The College Football Playoff scenarios didn’t turn into complete chaos on championship weekend thanks to No. 4 Washington’s convincing win over No. 8 Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game and No. 3 Clemson barely holding on against No. 23 Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, but there’s still that whole Big Ten mess.
No. 2 Ohio State didn’t get one last chance to impress the committee, and the only team that beat it, No. 7 Penn State, won the Big Ten over No. 6 Wisconsin.
So, will the committe keep OSU in the top four, or will it reward the Nittany Lions? We will find out Sunday. But for now, here are my predictions for the four teams that will be in the College Football Playoff.
1) Alabama
The Crimson Tide were supposed to be the best team in college football this season, and that’s exactly what they’ve been. Granted, the SEC had its roughest season in recent memory, but the Crimson Tide still rolled through their schedule to a perfect regular season. They added another victory Saturday, when they destroyed No. 15 Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama at No. 1 is the biggest lock of the century.
2) Ohio State
The only real question mark at this point is what the committee does with the Big Ten. Even though they didn’t play on championship weekend, the Buckeyes showed me more than enough during the regular season to earn the No. 2 spot. Ohio State beat four ranked teams, and its only loss came on a blocked field-goal attempt at Penn State. The Nittany Lions made things interesting by winning the conference, but it probably still won’t be enough to surpass the Buckeyes.
3) Clemson
The Tigers faced a win-and-you’re-in scenario in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game, and win they did, although it was far too close for comfort against the Hokies. With the Buckeyes off, the Tigers might have had a chance to jump up a spot with a convincing win in the title game, but a 42-35 victory over the Hokies likely ended that discussion.
4) Washington
The Huskies looked very impressive in their conference title game. Washington pounded Colorado 41-10 in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, likely clinching itself a spot in the College Football Playoff. A close win could have made things interesting, especially with Penn State winning the Big Ten, but the Huskies eliminated that potential doomsday scenario for themselves.
Just Missed
5) Penn State
The only other team with a case to make it is Penn State. The Nittany Lions won their conference and own a head-to-head win over the Buckeyes, but that still likely won’t be enough due to their two losses and OSU’s superior performance all season. But Penn State certainly has made things interesting down the stretch. And since head-to-head probably won’t matter at this point, we’ll forgive the Nittany Lions for their early loss to Michigan and let them pass the Wolverines.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images
