So where will we be ranked?
It feels like we will probably be 12. Jump Kentucky, Auburn, and Stanford. We really should jump Washington as well, they struggled against a winless team and our loss is better, especially now that Auburn lost another. I also think our loss is better than LSU and Oklahoma, but we don't have any quality wins. I can't imagine Texas leaps us, especially since we now have a common opponent.
So I'm thinking 11 or 12. Beat Wisconsin next week and we're most likely in the top 10. Sound about right?
October 7th, 2018 at 7:53 AM ^
If Michigan beats Wisconsin next weekend don't be on here yukking it up about how great this team is and how proud you are of the players. Clearly you're just waiting for an opportunity to shit all over them.
Maybe RCMB is more your speed.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:23 AM ^
Have you watched wisconsin? Serious question
October 7th, 2018 at 8:50 AM ^
I thought Maryland is a good team...lots of talented players, especially the RB McFarland. Durkin has recruited quite well. And we beat these guys quite handily.... I think Harbaugh's team has finally forged....next and final step is playing equally tough on road.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^
This is a good assessment - I was surprised at how well MD played. Yeah, they were obliterated all over the field, but that's a talent and coaching difference as much as anything. I thought the defense had to be on its toes and ready for anything on each play, and play really hard to keep up. I can see where they beat Texas before Texas was more fully weaponized early on. They're going to play in a bowl game this year, and deservedly so.
Michigan... The defense just keeps getting better. National pundits will accept the 14 4th quarter points, and all the garbage time yards. But we know better - this defense is fully loaded. The offense is becoming a well-oiled machine, just grinding down opponents with long, successful drives every time it gets the ball. The diversity of what they're doing is off the charts, despite the constant complaints of running the same plays.
I really think Harbaugh has been bringing things out more slowly than normal simply because they're not being stopped on the simple stuff. Because opponent caveats, blah blah. Nonetheless, the last couple of weeks have shown UW some looks they probably didn't want to see.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:53 AM ^
Our team isn't great but they are definitely improving. Not meaning to sound like JH but every week they are better than the week before.
The line play is much better, Shea looks more comfortable, and the defense is doing it's thing.
I'm not saying we win out but it's certainly possible. And while we may not be the prettiest team, winners play for titles. And if we drop a game or two, I can finally feel better about our future knowing the offensive line is going to be good enough going forward.
October 7th, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^
3-3 the rest of the way. Let's break it down:
WI - vulnerable. They let up a bunch of points to NE (and not in trash time). They were also at home. Shea is better than Martinez and MI has a MUCH better defense. MI should win this one (even FPI has us as a solid favorite) so 1-0.
MSU - seriously? No. They're not in great shape and will be lucky to escape the season with less than five losses.. 2-0.
PSU - At home, PSU still licking their wounds. This one could go either way. For Debbie Downer's sake we'll say they eke it out. 2-1.
Rutgers - Please. 3-1.
Indiana - Feisty but still. 4-1
OSU - "quarter of the playbook". Will be closer than people think. Still, for DD - 4-2.
"No way we go better than 3-3"... pfft.
October 7th, 2018 at 7:04 AM ^
1 in our hearts.
October 7th, 2018 at 7:22 AM ^
Don't really care about ranking now. Beating our next opponent will make a statement.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:39 AM ^
Seriously. Ben Mason hurdled a guy. What more do we really wan?
October 7th, 2018 at 7:45 AM ^
Gotta love that Transitive Property of Football
October 7th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
Hey, what do trannys have to do with our rankings???
October 7th, 2018 at 7:49 AM ^
Five teams lost in front of us but the refs didn’t try to let Maryland drive. Therefore we drop 1 and Delaney is happy
October 7th, 2018 at 8:11 AM ^
At this juncture, it really doesn't matter where Michigan is ranked. What matters is they control their destiny. Keep winning and they don't need any help from pollsters or opponents. A one loss Michigan team is in CFP, period. Lose a game and you are playing for a NY6 bowl game. Michigan came off two consecutive weeks where oppsoing team had 2 weeks to prepare and won both games. This team is getting better each week and you can see confidence rising. I do see Michigan playing well for balance of season. A break or two their way and Michigan could have a special season. Right now, depth on Dline is Michigan's biggest concern. A far cry from the Oline concerns 5 weeks ago. This team has the "look" of a team that can beat you physically and with finesse. Next two games will be physical and I think they will rise to challenge.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:16 AM ^
Thumbs up for what it’s worth.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:26 AM ^
Im not sure they do control their own destiny. If ND wins out I think the only B1G team that can make the playoffs is an undefeated OSU. There is that much southern bias. If Michigan wins out and everything else stays as it is with Georgia losing to Alabama in a close championship game the committee will choose Bama, ND, Georgia and Clemson. If Clemson falters or Georgia gets blown out and Washington and/or Oklahoma win out one of them will go.
Without ND losing I dont see a path for Michigan. And that truly sucks because I think we beat ND right now.
October 7th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
No way. M winning out means beating top 15 Wisc, top ten PSU, and top 3 OSU, and then winning again in the BTCCG against still top 15 Wisconsin. Only lose would be quality loss in week 1 to likely undefeated ND.
M 100% would get in over the Big 12 champ, especially since Oklahoma lost to Texas. Texas beating Oklahoma seriously damaged Big 12 chances of making the playoff.
And even Southern bias would not result in the loser of the SEC CCG (Georgia loses to Alabama) getting in over Big Ten champ Michigan with that resume.
Anyway: One game at at time. Beat Wisconsin.
October 7th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
Plus side is this could be enough to get “real” ACC fans (“ND is not really in our conference”), SEC fans (“we should always have 2 teams in”), Pac 12 fans (“time zones waa waa waa”), Big 12 fans (“but but but we added a conference championship game and anyways defense doesn’t matter”), delusional OSU fans, and national champion on paper UCF fans to all push to get to 8 teams in CFP sooner rather than later, which is what I’d like to see.
October 7th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
And oh, 12.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:30 AM ^
I think 12. Also, Bama has such a weak schedule, they should drop from number one. They likely won’t play a top ten team this year until the sec championship game. Even their own fans don’t think they’re interesting enough to watch.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:34 AM ^
Look for Texas to jump over Michigan as Texas has done something this season Michigan hasn't done in a long, long time; beat three ranked teams, and they've done it by the mid-season mark.
Give props to 2nd year head coach Tom Herman who has his team doing things which some experts have said is an impossible expectation reserved only for the likes of Nick Saban.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:01 AM ^
Uh, I’m pretty sure most people expected Texas to be pretty damn good once they hired Herman. I do think some people started to question that after they lost to Maryland again at the start of this season. But Texas obviously has no problem bringing in talent and with a good coach should be top-10 every year.
October 7th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
I think Texas is pretty good, but they did lose to Maryland (albeit in a rainy, fluky game), and saying they beat three ranked teams is a little disingenuous as two of those teams are no longer ranked, and USC didn't even get votes in the AP poll last week and got fewer votes than Maryland in the coaches poll.
I'm guessing we're #11. LSU only drops to #9 because people won't drop them past UCF. Texas is #12, Oklahoma #13, Wisconsin #14, Auburn #15.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:42 AM ^
why wouldn't be 10? five teams ahead of us lost, and our only loss is to an undefeated ND...
we should be 10.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:54 AM ^
No, I think 14/15 is about right for this team. Beating Wisconsin would be great, but I don't see a jump inside the top 10 until we beat PSU. Assuming we beat Wisconsin and Sparty, of course.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:15 AM ^
There aren't that many good teams. People on here underrate the teams we play and overrated everybody else.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:14 AM ^
The polls really are just an excuse to roll your eyes. Because certain arguments apply to some teams (cough, cough, SEC, cough, cough) that don't apply to others.
Florida will skyrocket in the polls, getting credit for beating a top 5 team who never should have been in the top 5 to begin with. And LSU will remain in the top ten just on the basis of their conference because...SEC!!! And Alabama won by 100 again so that's enough porn to keep Pete Finebaum happy for a week.
I think Michigan moves up a spot or two but nothing dramatic. And I'm O.K. with that. We have much to prove over the next three games. But don't expect too much love in the polls if we beat Wisconsin next weekend. Because then the argument will be, "You beat Wisconsin? Big deal. They lost at home to BYU."
October 7th, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^
Next three games will detrrmine everything this year.
Win all three: B1G title definitely attainable and will move into 5-6 ranking with very real shot at even bigger goals IF they can win at OSU
Win two of three and B1G still in play but anything beyond that is gone. No two loss team has made final four and not starting with us this year.
Lose two of three and everything goal-wise is gone.
Lose three of three and the noise level here and nationally re Harbaugh would be deafening. Highly unlikely but the doomsday scenerio does exist.
I said after ND we would cruise the next several weeks but we wouldn't rally know anything bout the team till we hit this three game gauntlet. Well we're here now.
Time to find out what we've got.
October 7th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
how can we only move up one or two spots ?
FIVE teams ahead of us, lost, and most weren't top teams... at least four should be below us now... I say we will be 11...and should be 10... Maryland was no patsy...they are very talented.. big uptick in talent... am impressed with the recruits Durkin got ( says nothing of the incident)
October 7th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
By resume it is hard to drop LSU below us, as they beat Auburn the road and beat Miami handily, and lost by one score on the road to Florida, who will likely be ranked in the 15-18 range. I think LSU stays above UCF because voters will really resist moving UCF up too much when their best wins right now are against Pitt and SMU.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:25 AM ^
Using the same calculus as Alumnus93 I concluded we could reach as high as 10. CBS Sports came up with the same number in their look-ahead. So we shall see.
The CBS prediction of Penn State advancing two spots on a bye grinds my gears.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:42 AM ^
A ton of teams lost in front of PSU. Don't you want them in the top 5 when Michigan beats them?
October 7th, 2018 at 9:56 AM ^
As long as we stay in first place in the B1G East, I don’t care.
October 7th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
Texas will likely jump us. Good wins are more valuable than avoiding bad losses. We haven't beaten a team that is likely to make a bowl game yet. Beat Wisconsin and we are probably in the top 10.
October 7th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
None of it will matter if we beat Wisconsin, MSU, and PSU. We will be Top 5 at that point and in control of our playoff destiny. Let's take care of these 3 opponents one at a time and then enjoy the ride!
October 7th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
The lower the better. I don't want any perceptions that we are overrated or other teams feeling disrespected.
Leave the chip on our shoulder for a change, and leave it all on the field, imo.