5 games with the biggest College Football Playoff implications in Week 1

No. 4 Indiana vs Iowa

Last season, Indiana was the darling of the Big Ten and gave Ohio State a run for its money as the Hoosiers only lost once in the regular season.

Behind quarterback Spencer Petras, Iowa also finished strong last season and both teams open the 2021 college football season ranked in the top 20.

The Big Ten is opening with a bunch of conferences games this week including Ohio State vs Minnesota on Thursday, as well as Penn State and Wisconsin on Saturday. All of these games have College Football Playoff implications but we’ll start with the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the Hoosiers are out to prove last season wasn’t a fluke and while Iowa finishes strong, making the College Football Playoff requires a strong start or at least not losing more than one game.

It’s hard to imagine either of these teams running the table after this one, which they would need to do following this loss. At home, Iowa has a big opportunity. If the Hawkeyes win this game, they will head to Iowa State will plenty of momentum.

And if Iowa can beat Indiana and Iowa State to open the season that’s great for the resume plus Penn State at home and Wisconsin on the road are the toughest games left.

It’s big for Indiana too, but the bottom line is that for either team to reach the College Football Playoff, it will mean beating Ohio State — at some point.