CFP Rankings @7pm

Submitted by jonesie022 on
I know it's early and many of you were going to tell me to stop clinging on to hope but tonight rankings will determine and tell us our chances going forward. I have gone on record as saying I believe we will be ranked #5. If you just put blind resumes up next to one another I still say we have a better resume than Clemson and Washington despite two losses. I'm not delusional enough to think we will be ranked ahead of them tonight but if one of them lose Saturday I say we are in. Remember when Texas A&M was ranked ahead of an undefeated Washington? Why can't a 2 loss Michigan with MORE quality wins who plays in undoubtedly the BEST conference in America do the same? Speaking of which, who in the hell determines the strength of schedule rankings? All three of our non conference teams are bowl eligible and we play in the toughest conference/ division in America yet are in the 50s/60s? Sorry for formatting...
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turd_ferguson84

November 29th, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^

Michigan is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I know they're good, but haven't been playing great as of late. Too many dominos need to fall for them to even have a shot at the playoff, unless the committee doesn't value conference championships. If they don't value conference championships then what is the point of them? They are already taking a B1G team not in the championship game. Clemson and Washington actually went on the road and beat a ranked opponent which Michigan hasn't done in a decade. Oklahoma and USC are playing some of the best football right now. IMO if they get in it's because a lot of crazy things happened this weekend with an extremely ugly B1G championship game. Michigan should have beaten Iowa, and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Joined: 09/20/2015

MGoPoints: -7

chatster

November 29th, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^

The Wolverines have had a great, but ultimately dissatisfying season.  It may take a lot of chaos and some divine intervention from Dr. Pepper’s Larry Culpepper for Michigan to be entered in the College Football Playoffs, but, hey, considering all the . . . RIGHT, NO POLITICS
 
The problem with figuring out a way for 10-2 Michigan to sneak into the playoffs is that (a) 11-1 Ohio State won the head-to-head meeting a few days ago, (b) the Buckeyes’ only loss was on the road to a 10-2 Penn State team that will be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game for having won its division and (c) Michigan not only lost to Ohio State, but also lost on the road to an 8-4 Iowa team that finished second in its division. Plus, Ohio State has won five straight games; Michigan lost two of its last three games.
 
Also, despite have been crushed by Michigan, Penn State hasn’t lost since that game on September 24. If the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten Championship Game, they will have finished the season 11-2 with nine straight wins, including wins over the two teams that beat Michigan (41-14 over Iowa and 24-21 over Ohio State.) Their only other loss was at Pitt 42-39 in the second game of the season. (Pitt finished 8-4 with an upset over Clemson in Death Valley.) It would not surprise me if Big Ten Champ Penn State on a nine-game winning streak were ranked ahead of Michigan in the final CFP rankings.
 
Then there’s 10-2 Wisconsin, playing in the Big Ten Championship Game, and with its only losses having been on the road by seven points, 14-7 to Michigan and at home 30-23 in overtime the following week to Ohio State.  The Badgers are riding a six-game winning streak.  They won at Iowa 17-9. If Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship, then they’d also have a decent case to be ranked ahead of Michigan in the final CFP rankings.
 
Michigan needed to find a total of only six more points to finish with a perfect season.  It didn’t happen.  Someone once said about college football, “They only remember how you played in November.”

Joined: 09/14/2010

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chatster

November 29th, 2016 at 5:54 PM ^

Wisconsin never has played in the Orange Bowl. Michigan has been there twice and won one (35-34 in overtime over Alabama in 2000 – thank you, Hayden Epstein and Bama's Ryan Pflugner for those overtime extra point attempts) and lost one (14-6 to Oklahoma in 1976.)
 
If the CFP Committee really wanted to screw with Jim Harbaugh, AND if Florida State were to be the opponent and an automatic draw in the Orange Bowl, AND if Western Michigan were to win the MAC Championship, then they (a) could put the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game in the Orange Bowl and (b) send the Wolverines to the Cotton Bowl in what would be the Battle for Michigan supremacy against an undefeated 13-0 Western Michigan team.

Joined: 09/14/2010

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uminks

November 29th, 2016 at 7:47 PM ^

Even if Washington and Clemson are upset we probably won't get in. They will find some way to have the B1G winner jump us and perhaps CO. But I guess there would be slim chance of getting in as number 4 provided both Washington and Clemson lose.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32200

uminks

November 29th, 2016 at 7:47 PM ^

Even if Washington and Clemson are upset we probably won't get in. They will find some way to have the B1G winner jump us and perhaps CO. But I guess there would be slim chance of getting in as number 4 provided both Washington and Clemson lose.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32200