Playoff Path Just Got a Lot Clearer

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

With Stanford and Utah losing today, the Pac-12 would appear to be out of the CFP picture. That leaves the other four P5 conferences and Notre Dame. So just three things have to happen now for us to make the four-team field:

- OSU beats MSU next week.

- Stanford beats Notre Dame.

- We win out, and beat Iowa in the B1G title game.

- It's also possible that the Big 12 will cannibalize itself in the next two weeks and lose out on a spot.

Right now, the ACC (Clemson) and SEC (Alabama) appear to be in. The B1G champ has a great case for the third spot, so Michigan just needs to be the B1G champ.

Harbaugh took a bunch of guys who went 5-7 last year, and a quarterback that Iowa didn't want, and he's got us in the CFP conversation in late November. He's good.

Michology 101

November 15th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^

You're looking at the way things appear to you right now. Though let's say Michigan beats OSU rather convincingly and does the same to Iowa. Does your perception that OSU is the only Big 10 team that belongs in the playoffs change? Remember most of us who support the idea of Michigan making the playoffs are taking into consideration the strong possible finish we would be showing. The kind of finish that may be playoff worthy.

BlueMk1690

November 15th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^

isn't really a thing, is it? Outside of Michigan fan forums I've not heard anyone even mention it.

Fan forums are pretty funny with their extreme variance. On the one hand there's unbound optimism and delusions of grandeur, on the other hand people are willing to throw *everyone* under the bus if the team faces any sort of adversity in games, like say trail by 2 points in the 3rd quarter on the road.

MChem83

November 15th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^

We have to beat Penn State on the road, then beat OSU, then beat Iowa, and hope for OSU to beat MSU and Stanford to beat ND.   Aside from the things we can't control, that's counting on us beating two undefeated, top 5 teams, both of whom are better than anyone we've played so far, when we can't even beat mediocre teams without a huge dose of luck.  Not gonna happen.

We will do well to win one of our last two games and get to a decent bowl.  Can we please stop with the silly playoff talk until and unless we beat OSU?