Editorial

Can Wisconsin Make The Playoff With A Win Over Ohio State? It’s Possible

OPINION
Wisconsin v Minnesota

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Is it possible for Wisconsin to make the playoff as an 11-2 Big 10 champion?

This seems to be the question everybody is pondering as a matchup with Ohio State is on the horizon Saturday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

Now, I want to start off by saying that this isn’t me guaranteeing a win or anything of that nature. Not at all. This is just discussing a potential scenario unfolding where Wisconsin gets in the playoff.

When I ran through some scenarios on 538’s playoff simulator, there is a situation where the odds get above 50%.

Here’s what gets us to 56% in the simulator:

  • LSU wins the SEC over Georgia
  • Baylor wins the Big 12 over Oklahoma
  • Oregon wins the PAC-12
  • Clemson wins the ACC
  • We beat Ohio State in the B1G title game.

Now, that’s asking for a lot. An Oklahoma win over Baylor knocks us down to 47%. Any other situation unfolds and our odds aren’t great.

So, where does that leave the Badgers? Well, it’s pretty simple. After beating Minnesota, we now have the chance to beat Ohio State for the conference title, but we don’t control our own fate.

Not at all. We need help. We need lots of it.

 

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However, there is a slight opening, but first we need to take care of business against Ohio State. If we do that, then we can worry about how everything else shakes out.

First, we’re coming for OSU’s throat. Check back later in the week for my full preview. In the meantime, let’s get back to crunching the numbers and maybe even a little praying.