No. 8 Ohio State made a last-ditch effort to sneak into the College Football Playoff Saturday by beating No. 4 Wisconsin 27-21 to claim the Big Ten Championship.
While the Buckeyes likely are still on the outside looking in, they may have given the committee something to think about before Sunday's selection show.
Here are three takeaways from Ohio State's win:
1. J.T. Barrett, J.K. Dobbins proved a lethal duo
Fresh off knee surgery, Barrett thundered his way onto Lucas Oil Stadium ready to lead his Buckeyes team to a Big Ten title. Though Barrett began by keeping both teams in the game, he ultimately settled in, throwing for 211 yards and two touchdowns, while also picking up 60 yards and another score on the ground.
Dobbins, meanwhile, rushed for 174 yards on just 17 carries, after breaking off a 77-yard run in the first half. The two explosive offensive weapons carried Ohio State, which struggled to move the ball at times in the second half. If not for Barrett and Dobbins, Wisconsin would be in the playoff right now.
2. No Big Ten presence in the playoff
For the first time in the playoff's brief history, the Big Ten could be absent from the four-team competition. Wisconsin had a bid locked up with a win Saturday, but Ohio State's two losses should be one too many to earn a spot.
Georgia, Clemson and Oklahoma are locks at this point, and Alabama is just sitting there with one loss. There's no way they get passed by a two-loss Ohio State team. The Buckeyes fought hard Saturday, proving they were the class of the Big Ten, but that just wasn't enough this year.
3. Wisconsin's offense was too one-dimensional
The Badgers, led offensively by quarterback Alex Hornibrook, struggled to move the ball in the first half despite seeing loaded boxes trying to stop freshman running back Jonathan Taylor. The Buckeyes did their job defensively, holding Taylor to just 41 yards on 15 carries, and Hornibrook never picked up the slack.
Wisconsin did score one offensive touchdown late, but Hornibrook completed just 19 of 40 passes for 229 yards and two interceptions, including one on the final drive when the Badgers were in Ohio State territory.