PLayoff Rankings

This is exactly it. All that matters are 1-4. I will never understand why some people get so annoyed with rankings. Wins are what matter most. Just beat Wisconsin and Ohio State and it's a good season.

There's always the pride of having your team playing in a marquee bowl game. Of course, that's obviously the cheap perfume you wear after not making the playoffs.

Exactly. It's the wins aganist good teams that matter. (The rankings actually reflect that.)

Mean anything?  No.  Give us something to talk about?  Definitely.  

You can really see what the committee empasizes and, in some cases, their inconsistencies.  They place a HUGE emphsis on strength of schedule, almost regardless of wins and losses.  

(19) NC State's best wins are a mediocre Louisville and BC w/ losses to ND (8)/ Clemson (2) /South Carolina (unranked)

(23) Northwestern's best wins are MSU (17) and Iowa (unranked) w/ losses to Wisco (5) / OSU (9) / and Duke (unranked)

Looks to me like Michigan is in line for a massive jump if they're able to take down Wisco.  Could be top 15.

What does this mean?  You're right, not much.  But interesting to discuss. 

but I actually see a possible, yet unlikely route for Michigan in the playoff. If they beat Wisconsin, a win on the road to a top 5 team would probably jump them to the 12-15 range alone. A win over a top 10 Ohio State team would not only get Michigan inside the top 10, but probably eliminate Ohio State. Then Ohio State would need to beat Wisconsin, giving Michigan a win over a conference champ. Could potentially get them to 8 or so. Now here's where Michigan needs major help:

Alabama to win out, therefore eliminating Auburn with 3 Losses, and making it very hard for Georgia to make it considering they'd have fewer quality wins than Michigan in this scenario. 

Oklahoma would need to lose the rematch of whoever they play in the Big 12 Championship game and possibly also lose to a pretty good West Virginia team. 

Stanford beating Notre Dame would eliminate them with 3 losses. 

That would make it 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Miami, 4. Michigan/Penn State/TCU/USC/Georgia/Oklahoma. The loser of Clemson/Miami could knock the loser out, of automatic in, Georgia would be left with one quality win, Penn State would have the head to head over Michigan, but we saw last year they committee doesn't put a ton of stock into that, and they care a lot more about who you beat than who you lost to, which would probably secure Clemson regardless. USC wouldn't have many quality wins, so they're probably out, which would probably make the decision between 10-2 Penn State, 10-2 Michigan, 11-2 Oklahoma, 11-1 Miami, 11-2 TCU for two spots. Michigan would also need to hope to god the committee gives weight to the fact they had a shitty backup QB for the first time against Michigan state, which they may do, since they literally just did it for Clemson.

Fuck that took a lot of Homerism but I found it. Our path to the playoff!!!

I personally feel if Michigan beats the # 4 team and probably at least # 6 team in the country back to back while maintaining a two loss record, they should be in the playoffs. It is a big if, but if it happens Michigan should be in. New QB, new team. No one this year will have anything close to those two wins on their resume.

 

And can we talk about how stupid bowl game results are? So hypothetically IF our team doesn't show up to win the big bowl battle for 19th place bragging rights, is that really a big deal? I've never given two shits when we lose a meaningless bowl game. I try to imagine the coach trying to get the team hyped up "Well guys. This is it. The battle for 16th place in the end of season rankings... If we lose we will surely be ranked 23rd!!! Now go out there and prove you're the 16th best team.in the Galaxy!!!!"

It's pretty dopey to blame the Committee because you don't agree with how they have 10-25 ordered. The bottom line is that no one really knows how good most of those teams are relative to one another. Not even for the ones that have played each other.

Is it really that untrue? I love Michigan as much as anyone here, but 2004 was a long time ago...

National media always makes fun of Michigan this time of the year since OSU has been taking us to the woodshed for 15 years. 

Last year it was Mark May saying OSU owns Michigan. 

This year it's Galloway making fun of Michigan tonight and Finebaum saying Meyer and Dantonio own Harbaugh. 

 

Nothing new until Michigan actually beats rivals consistently. 

It was Joey Galloway...to be expected from him

He said there was no way osu loses to Iowa. Iowa who? He stuffed his face with humble pie.

Wasn't Galloway one of those guys who mouthed off during a Michigan week in the 90s?

That is alll.,,,

Sounds like when Terry Glenn said "Michigan is nobody" before the 1995 game. It wasn't a good day for Terry and ohio st later that week. 313. I'll never forget that number. 313.