Dave Revsine: It's Not Crazy To Think Big Ten Could Send Three Teams To CFP
By: Evan Jankens
@kingofthekc
Alabama is going to make the College Football Playoff. By all appearances, so is Ohio State.
Beyond that, it's anyone's guess.
The final two spots, currently held by Clemson and Washington, are still very much in play. And the three teams just beyond the cutoff - Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State - are poised to vault into the final four should Clemson or Washington stumble this weekend.
Which gives life to an interesting scenario: the Big Ten could send three teams to the College Football Playoff.
"It's not totally out of the question there could be three," Dave Revsine of the Big Ten Network told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket on Thursday morning. "If you had absolute chaos, if Clemson and Washington both lost, I think the (selection committee) has made it very clear they're not taking a Big 12 team, so I don't think it's completely insane."
No conference has sent more than one representative to the College Football Playoff since the tournament was introduced in 2014.
"Ohio State seems like they're going to make it and if Michigan and the Big Ten champ were to make it - I don't think it's going to happen, but it's not like it's that crazy," Revsine said. "You'd basically need two fairly significant upsets, although I'm not sure how overwhelming an upset Colorado over Washington would be, frankly. So maybe you'd need one mild upset and one fairly significant upset."
No. 4 Washington takes on No. 8 Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship on Friday night. No. 3 Clemson takes on No. 23 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship on Saturday night. An upset in either game could open the door for Michigan, Wisconsin or Penn State.
"I think everyone is just rooting for chaos if you're a fan of one of those teams. You're just rooting for everyone ahead of you to lose and then you see where the chips fall," Revsine said.
Either Wisconsin or Penn State figures to be eliminated from CFP contention this weekend, after the two teams square off for the Big Ten Championship. And the winner is hardly guaranteed a spot in the final four. Indeed, it's been widely suggested that the Big Ten could send two teams to the CFP while the conference champion is left behind.
Revsine would figure to be okay with that.
"I think that Michigan is the second best team (in the Big 10). There was a period in the year where I thought they were the best team," he said. "Then I felt like Ohio State improved offensively and I began to question a little bit with Michigan whether or not they were just kind of home-field heroes.
"I think there's a pretty thin margin between those two, but I believe those are the two best teams."
But don't rule out a third one joining them in the CFP. And prepare for the social media firestorm that would ensue.
"Could you imagine what Twitter would look like if three Big Ten teams make the playoff?" Revsine laughed.