BleedGopher
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per Solomon's Q&A:
I'm a Michigan fan and excited about this season, which probably comes down to the Ohio State game. Do you see a scenario where Michigan could lose to Ohio State and still get in the playoff? -- John B.
Ah, premature playoff talk! It's that time of year when we spell out hundreds of scenarios that likely will never happen.
Sure, that could happen for Michigan, if the right breaks occur. The College Football Playoff selection committee favors conference champions, but a non-champion can get in if it's considered clearly one of the top four teams. Let's assume for this scenario the Big 12 doesn't get a team in the playoff and Alabama is the SEC representative. (That's just the easiest scenario to describe, but it's certainly not the only one.) If Michigan plays competitively against Ohio State and the Wolverines' body of work looks like a top-four team, they could get be invited ... but they'll probably need help.
Every ACC Coastal team already has at least two losses so Michigan would be helped if the Atlantic champion (right now, it looks like Clemson) loses in the ACC Championship Game. Clemson is turnover-happy enough at the moment for that to happen. Another possibility is if the Pac-12 champion has two losses. I suspect a one-loss Washington that wins the Pac-12 would get in over a one-loss Michigan that doesn't win its division.
The Wolverines could be helped incredibly if Colorado (5-2) somehow wins the Pac-12 South and upsets Washington at the Pac-12 Championship Game. Michigan beat Colorado 45-28 on Sept. 17. Ohio State may have the easier path to reach the playoff as a one-loss team given its road wins at possible Big 12 champion Oklahoma and top-10 Wisconsin. Michigan beat Wisconsin in a home game the Wolverines controlled more than Ohio State's win over the Badgers. The committee loves road wins.
Then consider this scenario: What if the Ohio State/Michigan winner LOSES the Big Ten Championship Game? And what if that loss comes against a two-loss Wisconsin that runs the table from here on out? Wisconsin would have a compelling case (wins over LSU, Nebraska, Big Ten East champion, tight losses to Ohio State and Michigan) to be the first two-loss team in the playoff.
We've been here before with Ohio State/Michigan postseason talk. They came close to a rematch in 2006 for the BCS championship after the No. 1 Buckeyes beat the No. 2 Wolverines 42-39 to end the regular season. Urban Meyer, then Florida's coach, argued it would be unfair to Ohio State and the country for a rematch. "If that does happen, all the (university) presidents need to get together immediately and put together a playoff system," Meyer said in 2006. "I mean like now, January or whenever to get that done."
http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...ate-and-michigan-could-both-make-the-playoff/
Go Gophers!!
I'm a Michigan fan and excited about this season, which probably comes down to the Ohio State game. Do you see a scenario where Michigan could lose to Ohio State and still get in the playoff? -- John B.
Ah, premature playoff talk! It's that time of year when we spell out hundreds of scenarios that likely will never happen.
Sure, that could happen for Michigan, if the right breaks occur. The College Football Playoff selection committee favors conference champions, but a non-champion can get in if it's considered clearly one of the top four teams. Let's assume for this scenario the Big 12 doesn't get a team in the playoff and Alabama is the SEC representative. (That's just the easiest scenario to describe, but it's certainly not the only one.) If Michigan plays competitively against Ohio State and the Wolverines' body of work looks like a top-four team, they could get be invited ... but they'll probably need help.
Every ACC Coastal team already has at least two losses so Michigan would be helped if the Atlantic champion (right now, it looks like Clemson) loses in the ACC Championship Game. Clemson is turnover-happy enough at the moment for that to happen. Another possibility is if the Pac-12 champion has two losses. I suspect a one-loss Washington that wins the Pac-12 would get in over a one-loss Michigan that doesn't win its division.
The Wolverines could be helped incredibly if Colorado (5-2) somehow wins the Pac-12 South and upsets Washington at the Pac-12 Championship Game. Michigan beat Colorado 45-28 on Sept. 17. Ohio State may have the easier path to reach the playoff as a one-loss team given its road wins at possible Big 12 champion Oklahoma and top-10 Wisconsin. Michigan beat Wisconsin in a home game the Wolverines controlled more than Ohio State's win over the Badgers. The committee loves road wins.
Then consider this scenario: What if the Ohio State/Michigan winner LOSES the Big Ten Championship Game? And what if that loss comes against a two-loss Wisconsin that runs the table from here on out? Wisconsin would have a compelling case (wins over LSU, Nebraska, Big Ten East champion, tight losses to Ohio State and Michigan) to be the first two-loss team in the playoff.
We've been here before with Ohio State/Michigan postseason talk. They came close to a rematch in 2006 for the BCS championship after the No. 1 Buckeyes beat the No. 2 Wolverines 42-39 to end the regular season. Urban Meyer, then Florida's coach, argued it would be unfair to Ohio State and the country for a rematch. "If that does happen, all the (university) presidents need to get together immediately and put together a playoff system," Meyer said in 2006. "I mean like now, January or whenever to get that done."
http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...ate-and-michigan-could-both-make-the-playoff/
Go Gophers!!
