That may sound good in the confines of a locker room or in a stadium decked out in cardinal and blue. Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) earned its fourth division crown in six years with six straight victories and by posting a 3-2 mark against top-10 teams. [...] while they only played one ranked team during that stretch, they did hand the Buckeyes their only loss of the season. Franklin declined several times to explain why his own team deserved to play for the national championship, though he did imply the Nittany Lions may have won the nation's toughest division — the Big Ten East. Wisconsin also lists defensive lineman Conor Sheehy (right arm) as questionable. In an era where gaudy offensive numbers and high-scoring games have become the norm, these teams are throwbacks — relying heavily on the run and stout defenses. Penn State finished fourth in the Big Ten in total defense and hasn't allowed a touchdown in its last two games. Wisconsin won the Big Ten's inaugural title game 42-39 in 2011 and Michigan State drove for a late score to beat Iowa 16-13 last year.