Penn State’s playoff odds plummet after loss to Wisconsin

It's tough to make the College Football Playoff in the first year of a program, but it seemed like Matt Campbell and his Penn State Nittany Lions had an outside shot with their schedule. They escaped high-stakes battles with powerhouses like Ohio State and Indiana, so they had a path to the big dance if they took care of business.

But unfortunately, the Wisconsin Badgers got the best of them on Saturday and now a trip to the playoff is a futile hope. Penn State dropped in this week's updated edition of ESPN's Football Power Index, and its playoff odds are in free fall.