Can the Big Ten take down the big, bad Bulldogs? Might the Buckeyes and Wolverines meet again for all the marbles?
Can anyone slay the red-and-black dragon?
If so, it’s probably going to have to be the Big Ten that does it.
No. 4 Ohio State goes to Atlanta — the belly of the beast — to take the first crack at No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl, one of two College Football Playoff semifinals on Dec. 31. If the Buckeyes can’t handle the unbeaten defending national champion, No. 2 Michigan could be next in line to try. The unbeaten Wolverines begin with No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
The final poll was revealed Sunday, with the playoff foursome and pairings unfolding as most expected they would. Still, critics have things to howl about, as always. Did Ohio State really deserve to get in despite getting throttled by Michigan in its last game and not playing for a conference championship? Is TCU, which didn’t lose until the Big 12 title game against Kansas State, really one of the best four teams in the country considering it opened as a 91⁄2-point underdog against an opponent not named Georgia? Is the playoff fully legit without Alabama, which would — and this is just a fact — be favored in a bowl matchup with any team in the land other than the big, bad Bulldogs?
This isn’t the first year things have broken heavily in favor of Ohio State during the committee’s final get-together.
