BomTrady

November 10th, 2015 at 7:56 PM ^

While the mouth breathers from MSU act like it was some sort of triumphant victory entirely due to their perceived greatness.  They'll selectively spout certain stats out of their ever-growing heads while ignoring others that definitively show Michigan was and is the better team.

The Mad Hatter

November 10th, 2015 at 9:25 PM ^

I would agree. But can you imagine the media hype if we make the playoffs in Harbaugh's first year? The television ratings would be insane. Plus, if we get in over some one loss teams due to our strength of schedule it would show the rest of CFB that scheduling a bunch of bullshit teams isn't going to cut it in the playoff era.

I'm optimistic.

buckeyejonross

November 11th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^

I'm sorry but nuh uh. Mad Hatter is talking about if "we" get in the playoff with two losses over other one loss teams. The ND fan says "we're blocking you" from doing that. The other Michigan fan replies to the ND fan about the legitimate-ness of Notre Dame for losing their only hard game. /end context.

berto714

November 11th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^

I'm pretty sure there are scenarios where both ND could get in and a 2-loss Michigan team could get in, but that would only happen if the committee ranks Michigan above a bunch of 1-loss Big 12 teams. Which I think is reasonable given the fact that they are already ahead of a 1-loss TCU, and in this hypothetical situation Michigan would beat the #3 and #5 teams. So that means really, we just need the following to happen: OK State and Baylor each drop a game, ND beats Stanford, Stanford (or another team) beats Utah. Then there would be no 1-loss teams out of the Pac 12, and we'd just need the committee to rank us above the three 1-loss Big 12 teams.

GoBlueInNYC

November 11th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^

There is no way that a two-loss Michigan team makes the play-offs, even if they win the conference.

Teams ahead of a theoretical BigTen M champ: One-loss Stanford, undefeated Clemson, undefeated Okie Sate (or one-loss Okie State), undefeated Baylor (or one-loss Baylor), one-loss ND, one-loss Bama, one-loss LSU. Outside playoff shots still exist for a one-loss Utah or Florida if they manage to win their conferences. And I didn't even touch on the idea of M having to jump one-loss Iowa and OSU, in the event that M manages to win the BigTen.

That's a lot of teams between M and a 4-team playoff.

berto714

November 11th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^

Why are you so sure 1-loss Baylor or Okie State will be above Michigan? TCU fell behind Michigan already, and Baylor's SoS isn't any harder. If Michigan beats the #3 and #5 teams, you really don't think the committee would have them jump 1-loss Big 12 teams? Because I certainly think it's possible.

As for jumping 1-loss Iowa and OSU, I think the committee would almost have to jump us given that we would beat both of them in this scenario, and also would have won the Big 12. We'd also have one more game than OSU, so same wins.

It's not lkely, but it's certainly psosible I think.

MI Expat NY

November 11th, 2015 at 10:49 AM ^

There's also a lot of football left.  I agree it's highly improbable, but lets start knocking out some of your teams ahead of us.  

Stanford loses to Oregon, wins Pac-12.  Florida loses to FSU but wins the SECCG and either LSU or Alabama drops an SEC game before the end of the regular season.  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Baylor all play each other, guaranteeing three loses between them.  Throw in TCU and it's not that hard to see the Big 12 champ with two loses.  Michigan winning the Big Ten is probably enough to jump one-loss OSU and Iowa who have weak schedules and head to head loses.  That leaves Clemson, Notre Dame if they get by Stanford, and two of a two-loss SEC champion, a two-loss Big 12 champion (or co-champion) where the leagues best non-conference win is Tennessee, a two or three loss Stanford, and a two-loss Big Ten champion Michigan.  I'd like our chances to be in that top four.  Becomes even more solid with a Stanford win over Notre Dame in the last week of the season.  

As I see it, the only team "set in stone" barring a very unlikely upset is Clemson.  There are plenty of stumbling blocks along the way for everyone else.  I agree that the Rose Bowl is probably the most likely ceiling, but it certainly isn't impossible to see us finding our way to the playoff.  This could be a 2007-type year where a 2-loss LSU got into the BCS title game.  

Edit: Just looked closer and it seems impossible for the Big 12 to end with a 2-loss champion barring a huge upset.  Even accepting that, it's still not impossible to see Michigan leaping over a 2-loss ND, a 2-Loss Stanford, a 2-Loss Florida, etc. to get in.  

In reply to by ijohnb

SamirCM

November 10th, 2015 at 7:32 PM ^

I'm not versed in tie-breaker rules, but let's say that MSU ends the season with a single B10 loss, wouldn't they trump us as they beat us? Or is there another tie-breaker that comes ahead of that? 

UM Fan from Sydney

November 10th, 2015 at 7:36 PM ^

If there is a three-way tie, then ranking is the tie breaker. If there is a two-way tie, then head-to-head is the tie breaker.