Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from comeback win vs. Wisconsin

1. Buckeyes are headed to the playoff

It’s a done deal for the Buckeyes; they are College Football Playoff semifinalists. They are in the final four with an opportunity to play for a national title.

After this championship weekend, do the Buckeyes deserve to be No. 1? How does their resume stack up against LSU? Both the Buckeyes and the Tigers have five wins against ranked opponents. At least their opponents were ranked when they played them. Both Michigan and Texas are no longer ranked.

Each team has their cupcake win; Ohio State played Rutgers and LSU played Arkansas. LSU played a Power Five team in their non-conference slate, but Ohio State played a team at full strength in their conference championship game. That committee room is going to have a difficult decision.

The Badgers’ bowl future isn’t as clear as Ohio State. Although Wisconsin is the Big Ten runner-up, they do have three losses, and might fall in the rankings below either Penn State, Michigan or Minnesota. It would be a tough pill to swallow if the Badgers fell behind the Gophers or Wolverines since they defeated both teams.

The Rose Bowl will come down to the Badgers and Nittany Lions. They didn’t play each other, but have two common opponents: Minnesota and Michigan. Both the Lions and Badgers defeated the Wolverines. Wisconsin beat Minnesota, but Penn State lost. Wisconsin hopes they don’t get penalized by their lost to Illinois