Projected College Football Playoff Rankings after Penn State wins Big Ten

Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Mike Gesicki (88) reacts after a touchdown against the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half during the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Predicting the latest College Football Playoff rankings following Penn State’s win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

A terrific season of Big Ten conference play is in the books after the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions came from behind to beat the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers 38-31 in a Big Ten Championship Game for the ages.

Penn State erased a 28-7 deficit in the first half behind 384 yards and four touchdowns behind quarterback Trace McSorley, who torched the Badgers’ secondary with a number of long downfield passes. While the playoff may be out of reach, a conference title is a terrific accomplishment for James Franklin after the Nittany Lions were 2-2 at the end of September.

Here’s a look at the latest projected playoff rankings following Penn State’s victory in the Big Ten Championship.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

3. Clemson Tigers

4. Washington Huskies

5. Michigan Wolverines

6. Penn State Nittany Lions

7. Oklahoma Sooners

8. Wisconsin Badgers

9. Colorado Buffaloes

10. USC Trojans

Alabama was basically a lock for the playoff heading into the weekend, and a 56-14 win over No. 15 Florida ensures the Crimson Tide the top seed as the only undefeated team in the Power Five.

Clemson earned a hard-fought win over No. 23 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game, which probably won’t be quite enough to move the Tigers ahead of the idle Buckeyes, although the difference between the two and three seed is minimal. Washington has a case to jump Clemson for third after dismantling Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game, but the committee will give enough value to the Tigers’ nonconference win over Auburn to keep the Huskies in fourth.

Penn State put on an incredible performance on Saturday night, as no team has handled Wisconsin’s defense so well. Still, there’s not much of an argument to put Penn State over Michigan after the Wolverines crushed the Nittany Lions by 39 points on September 24.

Oklahoma moves up two spots after running the table in the Big 12. As the conference was the worst of the Power Five this year, it’s hard to see the Sooners jumping a two-loss Michigan or Penn State.

Next: Ranking The 25 Best Rivalries In College Football

The debate between Colorado and USC will be one of the more interesting committee decisions to follow this weekend. USC beat Colorado 21-17 back on October 8, but the committee has previously set a precedent that it doesn’t want to punish teams too much for playing in their respective conference championship games.

Home/College Football