Minnesota … gone. Wisconsin … jumped by three-loss Mississippi. Michigan State … bypassed by Arizona. The Big Ten took a beating in the opening moments of the weekly College Football Playoff rankings release. But then came a bit of good news: Ohio State climbed a spot to No. 5, maintaining its lead on Baylor. And considering No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Florida State all have tough games this weekend, Ohio State will have a decent chance to break into football’s first final four. That’s if — a giant if — the Buckeyes can beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game with backup quarterback Cardale Jones at the helm. In case Jones, who has attempted all of 19 passes in his college career, wants to feel any more pressure, he can take a listen to selection committee chair Jeff Long: “We’ll be very interested to watch Ohio State’s performance with the backup quarterback. The result will dictate how we feel about Ohio State and how we project they would compete (in the playoff).” In other words, the Buckeyes will be judged far more by their 13th game than their first 12. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State is Big Ten’s lone hope to make the College Football Playoff
