Gobluegr

November 20th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^

Either Wisconsin or MSU will fall below or stay below (Wiscy) Michigan(if they win) after this week of the BTCG. Georgia will fall back if the lose the SEC championship. The loser of the OK v OK state game could fall behind Michigan. And there are still plenty of upsets to be had in the next two weeks.

Look Up_See Blue

November 20th, 2011 at 10:12 PM ^

you guys are looking too far ahead.  Northwesteran has all but had msu's number in the last couple years and penn st. could very well beat wisconsin.  After a win over ohio, and a loss from one of those two teams this weekend we will definitely be in the top 14 or higher depending on the outcomes of other games.  

Darth Wolverine

November 20th, 2011 at 8:41 PM ^

...is beating Ohio. The rankings are just a bonus at this point. I know we all want a BCS game, but beating Ohio is without a doubt the most important thing.

raleighwood

November 20th, 2011 at 8:43 PM ^

All this talk about "beating Ohio" has me concerned.  It's discussed like it's a foregone conclusion.  I remember when OSU was a clear favorite in '95 and '96 and they were disappointed each time.

I understand that Michigan has a better O, better D and they're at home.  All indicators point toward Michigan.  That scares me.  It's going to be a loooong week.

 

steviebrownfor…

November 20th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^

 you are comparing this year to an arbitrary year to support your paranoia regarding Ohio. Can't blame you, obviously everyone knows this isn't a forgone conclusion...

But you can't ignore the facts:

We have a better team.

We are undefeated at home.

OSU's offense is anemic / UM's defense is solid.

c'mon dude, there's nothing wrong with a little optimism.  Dont be such a Debby Downer.

edit: on a side note - does ANYONE actually think that K-State is better than UM?! like, are you kidding me? same goes for a few other teams up there like your classic overrated South Carolina team (that is without Lattimore); or an Oklahoma team that has a loss to 5-6 Texas Tech.  Beating OSU and finishing 10-2 will remove all doubt that UM is back, and the rankings will reflect this.

ShruteBeetFarms

November 20th, 2011 at 8:50 PM ^

OSU has had a shitty season so this game is like their super bowl. They have no pressure so it wouldn't surprise me if they used all four downs a lot and if their playcalling was more aggressive than it has been.

Their defense is still solid and they will be ready to play.

Yost Ghost

November 20th, 2011 at 10:38 PM ^

UM has a superior team and although nothing is certain I don't see them slipping in this game. Yes Ohio may be gunning for us but what are they playing for? Pride? There is so much uncertainty and distraction swirling around that program right now. They're coach is most likely gone, they're probablly facing NCAA penalties, recruting may be down, they're already dealing with distractions that go along with a coaching search and a rumor mill working overtime, they have a freshman quarterback that is coming into a loud BIG House for the first time who already has issues throwing the ball and to top it all off you have a team in UM that has suffered humiliation at the hands of Ohio for 7 years. This one has the makings of being real ugly.

Elmer

November 20th, 2011 at 8:49 PM ^

If we are at #15, we should be able to raise a spot after all the regular season games and conference championships are played.  That's all we need to be BCS eligible.  Georgia should go down.

Overall though, I agree a victory over Ohio is the only really important thing left this season.

 

sheepman

November 20th, 2011 at 8:50 PM ^

Do we really want a BCS bowl? What if the same thing happens as did last year, we get into a better bowl than we deserve and we get our asses handed to us. 

I would rather be in the capital one or the Outback, and have a good competitive game. 

sheepman

November 20th, 2011 at 9:05 PM ^

yes. I happen to be a season ticket holder. And I watched a mediocre Iowa team and a little better than mediocre MSU team beat us quite handily. 

I know we are a better team this year. A different team. But there is no way we would stand up against a good SEC team yet. 

 

sheepman

November 20th, 2011 at 9:34 PM ^

I take your point. they were close games. But we were intimidated and dominated by MSU and  choked against Iowa (I am not talking about the blown calls, just much of the game). Thing is, they are both a little better than mediocre teams.

I am not trying to be downer here. All I am sayin is that last year's bowl sucked bad, and I would hate to have that happen again.

The Baughz

November 20th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^

What is with all this negativity? Why wouldnt you want to play in a bcs game? We are a solid team. Not a great team, but certainly bcs worthy if we beat tsio. This is not last year. What is it going to take for you guys to realize we can hang with anyone? We all should want to play a top 10 team to prove to everyone that Michigan is back. You people who say that you hope Michigan doesnt play in a bcs bowl bc we might get our asses beat make me sick.

justingoblue

November 20th, 2011 at 9:00 PM ^

If we can get into the Sugar against Houston, that would probably be the easiest matchup we could hope for. If we're in the Fiesta we're playing Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. At this point, we'd likely be playing Arkansas in the Capitol One, possibly falling to the Outback against South Carolina or Georgia. I don't think life gets much easier on the field playing the 3/4 pick out of the SEC compared to the BXII/Non-AQ champ. Plus, recruiting would benefit a lot from the month of media hype leading up to a top level bowl.

Zone Left

November 20th, 2011 at 9:04 PM ^

Assuming two SEC teams in the title game and Michigan is the Sugar Bowl's choice, expect them to play the Big East champ. The way the selection process works, the Sugar Bowl would get the first and last at-large choice. I'd assume the last choice would be the Louisville/Rutgers *champ*.

Edit: I read it wrong. The Orange Bowl is going to get stuck with the Big East Champ.

Muttley

November 20th, 2011 at 8:51 PM ^

Guaranteed & likely losses remaining:

• Wiscy/MSU/PSU guaranteed two Ls | we'll be ahead of the two losers a.s.

• Georgia likely L (GT & LSU) | jump a.s.

• S Car possible L (Clem) | jump a.s.

• OU/ntOSU guaranteed L | jump possible

• VT/Clem guaranteed L | VT jump possible

For us to beat Ohio and nothing above to happen to move us up one spot is very unlikely.

_DG7_goblue

November 20th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^

Because Wisconsin is behind us, they win out they jump us. Our hope is OU, and Georgia loose. Or anyone else, there is also the chance Clemson beats VT and jump us.

Muttley

November 20th, 2011 at 9:05 PM ^

of the two teams that lose in the next two weeks. Not the B10 champ (unless it's Sparty after a NW loss.)

Georgia's gotta play LSU in the SEC champ game.  (Plus they've got a decent GT next week).  The odds of them winning both are very low.

One spot up is all we need.

 

GRFS11

November 20th, 2011 at 9:04 PM ^

Okay first let me say that there is no worst case scenario if we beat Ohio.  Everything is good if we win Saturday.  In terms of bowls, however, here's how we don't move up to top-14:

 

15) Michigan

14) Michigan St wins out, or Wisconsin wins out and replaces MSU ahead of us

13) Georgia either wins out, or plays the SEC champ game tight so they aren't really punished and stay ahead of us.

12) South Carolina wins out.

11) K St wins out.

10) Oregon wins out.

9) OU wins out; OSU is still probably ahead of us.

8) Houston wins out.

7) Boise St wins out.

6) Standord wins out, beats ND (which is a potential upset here).

5) Va Tech wins out.

4) Even with a loss, OSU stays ahead of us.

3-2-1) All are too far ahead to slip below us.

somewittyname

November 20th, 2011 at 9:42 PM ^

is actually the probable outcome, except OU beating Ok St (maybe 50-50) and then the big one is Georgia. Chances of them winning both of their next two games is very small. But then when you consider the odds of all of those things happening as a whole, we are almost assured a top 14 ranking provided a win this weekend.

coastal blue

November 20th, 2011 at 9:19 PM ^

How in God's name is Oklahoma number 9? 

Shows how ridiculous all of these computer rankings are - Oklahoma ranked 4-8 in all of them - that they are above other two loss teams with a loss AT HOME to a 5-6 Texas Tech team which has lost games by scores of 41-7, 52-20 and 66-6. 

I thought the computers took things such as past seasons and brand out of their rankings?

And that Iowa loss is killing me right now. We win that game and we might even be in talks for a shot at LSU. 

Look Up_See Blue

November 20th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^

not to mention that would be a sexy match up and story.  LSU vs. Alma Mater and what some think was almost his new job as Michigan's head coach before a man named Brady came along.  Of course there's no reason in playing the shoulda-woulda-coulda game at this point.  It does hurt to look back and think what might have been....

orobs

November 20th, 2011 at 9:33 PM ^

Worst case scenario is Georgia beats lsu in the championship game. Georgia gets an AQ, and lsu stays #2 (it's possible). Sec then takes 3 bcs spots, leaving Michigan out even if they break the top 14

orobs

November 20th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^

Not true.

"No more than two teams from any one conference may receive berths in BCS games unless two non-champions from a BCS conference finish as the top two teams in the final BCS standings, in which case they will meet in the National Title Game while their conference champion will play in their conference's BCS bowl game."