Penn St-Wisconsin winner in Big Ten game no lock for playoff

Adoree Jackson, USC: In perhaps his final collegiate home game, the Trojans’ do-everything defensive back showed why he should be the most serious threat to Louisville’s Lamar Jackson as a Heisman candidate. The sophomore from Whitehall High left Penn State’s 45-12 win over Michigan State with a lower-body injury in the third quarter.

He acted like a man who knew this was possible all along. Whatever the powers that be decide [after the title game], we’ll be happy and excited for whatever that opportunity is. The teams will be selected based on multi-year Academic Progress Rate, which would make North Texas and Mississippi State the first two selections, according to USA Today. And their star QB was an off field and social media embarrassment.

While Ohio State and MI rest up and await their postseason destination next weekend, Penn State and Wisconsin have started to prepare for Saturday’s Big Ten championship game, not really certain whether the victor will advance to the College Football Playoff. The victor will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.

The Big East (Villanova, Xavier and Creighton) and Atlantic Coast Conference (North Carolina, Duke and Virginia) are tied with three teams each in the Top 10. “We’re appreciative and grateful for what has happened here to this point, but we’re nowhere near done”. The Louisville quarterback was both spectacular and sloppy in a loss to Kentucky.

FRANKLIN’S JOURNEY: Penn State lost four straight to end 2015 and got off to a 2-2 start this season with those losses of 42-39 to Pittsburgh and 49-10 to MI.

Of course, beating “The team up North”, as MI is called around here, is enough reason to party – and can be hard to put into perspective.

But something has clicked since that first weekend in October. The Nittany Lions were shooting 56.3 percent and appeared to be in command of the game. “We are waiting 365 days to get this team back”. In fact, it didn’t allow a touchdown in the last eight quarters of the season.

“For me to tell you right now if how he’s looking, I don’t know”.

It continued into Saturday afternoon. J.T. Barrett’s legs ultimately got the Ohio State offense going, and after a controversial fourth down conversion in the second overtime, Curtis Samuel’s 15 yard run sealed the win – and likely a College Football Playoff berth – for the Buckeyes.

But this isn’t a lucky run.

Barkley did not return against Michigan State, a hard game in which he gained just 14 yards on 12 carries. Only five opponents have run for 100 yards against the Badgers.

That’s when they agreed that yes, they should keep trying to go 1-0 each week (one of Franklin’s pet phrases), and maintain a focus on Iowa, Iowa, Iowa … or Maryland, Maryland, Maryland … or, whoever, whoever, whoever (as he’s also fond of saying). Obviously, you don’t want to see a teammate go down or not be able to finish the game, but you got to get the win and you got to be ready for your team when your time is called on. Michigan State mounted four long first-half drives of at least 11 plays but had to settle for Geiger’s kicks each time. We feel great about the depth that we have at that position. “We had 13 lineman at the hotel and nine were freshmen. We just had to get off, beat blocks and get to the ball”. “It’s been fun to watch these guys make big plays”.

Remember, the CFP protocol was established to provide “enough flexibility and discretion to select a non-champion or independent under circumstances where that particular non-champion or independent is unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country”.