https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29030974/college-footba...
ESPN recently released their 2020 FPI, which, if you remember, was actually a pretty darn good predictor last year of team success and potency, barring a few whiffs (hello, top 25 Nebraska). One of the features of this year's FPI is a predictor of a team's chances of getting to the playoffs, and the top 3 teams are hardly a surprise: Clemson, Ohio State, and Alabama.
The fourth team may surprise you. It's Wisconsin.
Why? Well, the article highlights how Wisconsin is returning a decent portion of its team on both sides of the ball, although it minimizes (I think) how difficult it will be to replace Taylor, Cephus, and Bahn, who were by far the Badgers' three biggest difference makers last year. (To be fair, we're also losing our two best defensive players and our most reliable wide receiver).
The other thing Wisconsin has going for it is a strong schedule (they play Notre Dame, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa) but no Ohio State or Penn State in the regular season. This could have big playoff implications. If Wisconsin goes into Indy with a 12-0 record and wins over 3 likely top 25 teams, then a close loss to a 12-0 Big East (read: most likely Ohio State) would give a 12-1 Wisconsin decent odds of still making the final four. On the flipside, let's say Ohio State goes into Indy ranked #1 and loses a heartbreaker to a 12-0, very likely top 5 Wisconsin team. Depending on how the Big 12 and Pac 12 shake out, Ohio State could still get in as a 12-1 team, especially if they beat an Oregon team that wins the Pac 12.
There's a lot of ifs and it's very early days, but it'd be amazing for conference perception if the Big Ten got two teams in.
