Largely because of its close encounters with the likes of Purdue and Northwestern, the Michigan football team hasn’t earned many boosts in the College Football Playoff rankings in recent weeks. But the Wolverines’ 45-20 victory over Maryland on Saturday seems to have done the trick.
Michigan moved up three spots from No. 18, landing at No. 15 heading into rivalry week in college football.
The Wolverines played one of their most complete games of the season against the Terrapins. After allowing an opening-drive touchdown, Michigan’s defense buckled down, ceding just two field goals until Maryland landed a garbage-time touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Even with its two star running backs — junior Justice Haynes and sophomore Jordan Marshall — sidelined due to injury, Michigan’s offense had a successful evening as well. It didn’t need to punt on a single possession, and scored six touchdowns on eight complete drives.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood threw 16-for-23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and he looked quite comfortable in the pocket. Junior running back Bryson Kuzdzal gained 100 yards on the ground on his way to three touchdowns, taking his increased role in stride.
As expected, Ohio State remained in the top spot, meaning the Wolverines’ final task in the regular season is toppling the highest-ranked team in the country.
Joining Michigan, four other Big Ten teams are included in the committee’s rankings. Ohio State and Indiana occupy the top two positions, Oregon sits and No. 6 and USC falls to No. 17.
Here are the complete CFP rankings from the fourth reveal:
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- BYU
- Miami
- Utah
- Vanderbilt
- Michigan
- Texas
- USC
- Virginia
- Tennessee
- Arizona State
- SMU
- Pittsburgh
- Georgia Tech
- Tulane
- Arizona
What Can Michigan Do To Climb?
Well, Michigan really only has one option: beat Ohio State. It doesn’t matter how, and it doesn’t matter by how much, just coming out of the game with a win is all the Wolverines can do.
Even with a victory, it doesn’t guarantee them a spot in the playoff field. While they’d undoubtedly own the best win of all two-win teams in the country, they’d have to hope that the committee values that win over somee less-convincing wins they’ve put together so far this season.
If the Wolverines do come away with the victory, they’ll have a slew of other 10-2 teams alongside them, all vying for the same couple of spots at the back end of the field. Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Miami, just to name a few, all have solid cases in their own right to earn a spot.
There is also still a chance that Michigan can make it into the Big Ten Championship Game if a couple of things fall the Wolverines’ way, which is another chance to boost their resume.
Still, in order for any of this speculation to matter, Michigan has to win on Saturday, and that’s no easy task, as no one has done it yet this season. Stranger things have happened in college football, however, and the Wolverines have won four straight meetings against the Buckeyes.
It will likely take their best performance of the year on both offense and defense to pull it off, but their playoff lives depend on it.
