Badger of Honor
Fansided

Week one games of interest to Wisconsin football fans

By Tanner Nestle

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide (far left) drops back to pass during the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide (far left) drops back to pass during the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football - Washington Football
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Jake Browning #3 of the Washington Huskies throws a warm up pass before the start of the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Washington vs Auburn

Saturday, September 1st

3:30 p.m. ET

This is one of the marquee matchups of the entire weekend, featuring two top-ranked teams who can compete for a national championship.

This game is a must watch for obvious reasons. It should be a great football game. But there is also extra reason to pay attention for Wisconsin fans. This game could have implications on the Badgers’ odds to make the College Football Playoff.

The reputation the SEC and ACC have pretty much lock their champions into the Playoff. But if the Big Ten struggles or Wisconsin loses two games on its way to a conference championship, Washington’s resume might come into play as the favorite to win the Pac 12.

There are five Power 5 conferences so at least one champion is going to be left out. If Washington wins this game, then cruises on to win the Pac 12 it’ll be difficult to make an argument for keeping the Huskies out of the Playoff. Assuming Auburn plays well the rest of the year, the Badgers will have a tough time one-upping Washington’s Playoff resume.

If Washington loses, that significantly helps Wisconsin as Washington would be without a marquee victory outside of conference play, which Wisconsin cannot get given its own non-conference schedule.

This game will be one the Playoff committee references when reviewing Washington’s resume. It could be of great help to Wisconsin if they don’t win it.