College Football Playoff: Longhorns fall, Wildcats rise in New Year’s Six projections

Rose Bowl Game – Ohio State Buckeyes vs Washington State Cougars

Ohio State versus Who? Really? Well, alright then.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are back in action for the first time since being upset by the Purdue Boilermakers The Buckeyes should steamroll the Nebraska Cornhuskers but after the show they put on against Purdue, their following three games don’t seem to be as easy. The Buckeyes have gained a new identity over the past several seasons: under-performing and unprepared. Their losses haven’t been close, they’ve been blowouts. Some think the Buckeyes are overrated but with the talent and coaching they have, it simply comes down to not performing at their best ability, as well as poor preparation. The Buckeyes better be careful or the team up North will steal the Big Ten right away from them.

The Washington State Cougars picked up their second straight, big time conference win this past Saturday, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 41-38. The Cougars hold a .5 game lead over the Washington Huskies, which is setting up an end of season battle between these in-state rivals for the Pac-12 North. The Cougars are the remaining chance of the Pac-12 having a representative in the College Football Playoff. A loss from now until the conference championship game would make the Pac-12 the first Power Five Conference eliminated from playoff contention.