Three Thoughts is a new feature GoldandBlack.com will run every Monday morning in-season.

It wasn't a straight line for the Big Ten. Matter of fact, it was utter chaos.

But when Ohio State earned a spot in the College Football Playoff and subsequently pantsed Clemson, the conference come out a big winner.

In spite of itself.

The Big Ten bungled the initial handling of the cancelation of the fall season and very little thereafter came smoothly, not that smooth was ever a realistic expectation. The conference never should have written that six-game postseason-qualification guideline in ink.

But here they are at the end, smelling like a rose, a Jerry World rose this year, I suppose.