Everyone knew the Ohio State Buckeyes needed help to get in to the final four of the College Football Playoff. A loss by Clemson or Alabama in addition to Iowa would have given the Buckeyes a legitimate shot at moving from sixth to fourth. The Tigers and Crimson Tide both won, soiling any hopes for resurrecting Ohio State’s season after the tough loss against the Spartans.
The Iowa Hawkeyes finished at fifth, and are rewarded with a trip to the Rose Bowl as the highest-ranked Big Ten team that did not make the Playoff. They will play Stanford, who also leaped Ohio State.