Ohio State Buckeyes

How Will the Badgers and Hokies Affect the Playoff This Year?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Two teams that will affect the College Football Playoff situation.

In 2014, games against Virginia Tech and Wisconsin affected the Ohio State Buckeyes in their run to the College Football Playoff. How the Hokies and Badgers play in their conference championship games could be the keys to which teams make the playoff again this year.

In Ohio State’s championship season, the loss to Virginia Tech pushed the Buckeyes so far down in the polls nobody gave them a chance at making the final four. They didn’t even make it back into the top 10 until mid November.

Ohio State was still only ranked No. 6 going into the Big Ten Championship Game and was the underdog to Wisconsin. Then it happened. 59-0 and the Buckeyes made the inaugural College Football Playoff.

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Fast forward to 2016 and the Clemson-Virginia Tech and Wisconsin-Penn State games will determine the final teams who will vie for the National Championship. A win by Virginia Tech would be great for Ohio State and the other Big Ten teams as well. How Wisconsin plays in the conference championship game may be equally as important.

A Virginia Tech win will ensure Ohio State will make the playoff and could put a second Big Ten team in it as well. A loss by the Hokies, combined with a dominating win by Penn State over Wisconsin in the championship game, could make things interesting.

Could the Badgers lay an egg again? If so, could The Nittany Lions make a case to make the playoff because they will have won the head to head matchup against the Buckeyes and will be Big Ten Champions?

If you are a Big Ten Fan, you should root for Virginia Tech to upset Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. If you are a Buckeye or Wolverine fan, root for the Hokies and the Badgers, and hope the Big Ten Championship game is a close one.

Will it continue to be the case that Virginia Tech and Wisconsin continue to be important players in the College Football Playoff. It’s too early to say, but they will have been factors in two of the first three years.

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