Michigan starts at number 5 in the first CFP Selection of the season.

Beat Rutger

Got’em right where we want’em 

Go Blue, beat Rutgers!

Unconscionable to put Clemson at 4.  They are 7 at best.  They more than likely would have lost to Syracuse if not for a horrible roughing the passer call on 3rd and 25 that they were the beneficiary of.  

I will now be rooting my ass off this weekend for Notre Dame.    

We're being disrespected. Let's go beat up some helmet-less Clemson players.

Horseshit.

If Michigan does not overlook Illinois and takes care of business in Columbus, they will be right where they want to be, regardless of whatever else happens around them.

That game on November 26th is virtually a CFP play-in game.

this is even more shocking than the tunnel thing.  How could anyone who has watched even an average amount football this season consider Clemson superior to Michigan?  It is literally impossible to fathom.  Was it the gutty home win against freaking Syracuse?

Looking forward to the 12-team playoff.

Bullshit, yes. But it'll be sorted out by year's end. 

We are much better than Clemson. CFP poll out to make UM the odd team out with one loss out if AL, TN, Clemson, and GA all have one loss!

I don’t see the SEC getting two teams this year, unless other conference champions lose games they shouldn’t. Frankly, I don’t see teams that haven’t won a conference championship making it this year. Other conferences have strong teams this year, 
 

Big Ten and SEC champions are in. 
 

Undefeated Clemson and undefeated TCU are both in as well. They can’t turn away an undefeated P5 conference champion. 
 

1 loss PAC 12 champion also has a good chance to make it over a 1 loss non-SEC champion, unless it is Oregon who lost to Georgia in head to head. 
 

Just keep winning.  Tennessee plays Georgia this week, and one of them's gotta lose.  That'll be our chance to jump into the top 4.

Clemson above us is bull shit, but whatever we'll beat OSU or we won't and it'll sort itself out.

No need to get upset about these numbers that don't even matter.  If Michigan holds up their end of the bargain, the Wolverines will be 12-0 coming off back-to-back wins over Ohio State and waiting to see who is the tallest of all the little people in the B1G West soon enough.

If Clemson was blowing through that weak ACC, fine, but we've played better teams and handled them much more convincingly. Clemson is getting way too much credit for ACC teams propped up by beating other ACC teams.

There's arguably zero path to the playoffs here for Michigan unless we A. go undefeated, and B. beat arguably the best team in the country on the road.

It feels like we're being penalized for playing Georgia poorly last year.

Some Michigan fans-

“Dont worry Michigan can prove itself at #2 on the road”

meanwhile

“Clemson is fine at #4 with a collection of one score wins vs Syracuse Forest College”

Somebody please put a head to head of each teams weakest 3 so we can put this BS about ooc scheduling being the issue. Uconn is approaching bowl eligibility for crying out loud. 

My guess to what will be the final standings * conference champs

If OSU beats UM: by less than 2 scores.

1. *OSU 13-0

2. *TCU 13-0

3.* Alabama 12-1

4. Georgia 11 -1

5. Tennessee 11-1

6 Michigan 11-1

7 *Oregon 12-1

8 *Clemson. 12-1

If Michigan beats OSU 

1.* Michigan 13-0

2. *TCU 13-0

3. *Alabama  12-1

4. Georgia 12 -1

5. OSU 12-1

6. Tennessee 12-1

7. *Oregon 12 -1

8. *Clemson 12 -1.

Michigan could be number 1 going into the playoffs, if, GA defeats TN, Alabama defeats GA , and UM beats OSU. I would not want to play Georgia or Tennessee. I think we would hang with Bama.

This will be different after Tennessee and Georgia play, but unless it’s an undisputed ass beating they’ll probably just switch spots. Winning takes care of all, but, having Michigan and OSU at 2 and 3 means if the game is close then one will be left out over a 1 loss SEC team. 

Cheer for TCU, USC, and Georgia. 

Ideal scenario -

1) Georgia

2) Michigan

3) USC

4) TCU

It's obvious that the CFP Committee likes the glitz of high octane offenses. If a team can average 50 points a game then they are ranked higher. Maybe Black Beard at OSU has the right idea.

Let's see if Michigan can hang at least 50 on Rutgers. Yes, just keep winning.

The first rule about the initial CFP rankings is you don't get worked up over the initial CFP rankings.  Every scenario that has been thought through is going to be wrong except for possibly 1. 

Exact same scenario as last year beat osu win Big 10 and you're in

The initial rankings are what I would expect - a joke.  The Committee is prepping for a 3-team SEC inclusion in the top-4.

1. UM behind Clemson is a joke.  UM would crush them, and the eye test from any rational CFB fan would state it (even the Bucknuts on 247 agree).

2. LSU ranked at #10 is a joke.  They squeaked by more teams than anyone.  AL will crush them and end that CFB Playoff Committee wet dream.

3. TCU should be ahead of AL, as AL is not the AL of old.  They are weaker this year, and their ranking is generous based on past glory.  The CFB Playoff Committee giving them LSU at #10 to bump their resume.

4. PSU got hosed.  They lost to 2 top 5 teams.  They should be ahead of LSU and near #10.

The committee chair tried to use non conference as the justification which is funny because Clemson played world beaters Furman and LA Tech in their non conference. Also called UM's defense only solid instead of very good. Did they miss the part where UM completely stifled a PSU offense all game besides a Clifford run and that same offense just put up 31 points and almost 500 yards on OSU? 

This is a beauty contest - nothing more.  And, the Selection Committee continues to be absorbed by the "prettiest" girls in the room.   

Score a lot - be flashy - and, though I'm sure there is interest in the evening gown or swimsuit (if that's still allowed) aspects of the pageant - the committee doesn't seem like they are very interested in the overall talent - both sides of the ball - that these teams possess, and have demonstrated on the field.

I believe there's something called defense that really doesn't matter to the committee - it's only half the game.

Illinois is currently ranked 16th.  If Michigan wins that, they would have a better win than Clemson will have all season (two in fact if you include Penn State).  As a result I think Michigan would still get in over a one loss Clemson team even if they lose to OSU (and certainly if they lose to Illinois, beat OSU, then avenge defeat in Big Ten Championship against Illinois).

Basically the committee is saying a one loss Michigan team won’t get in over an undefeated Clemson team.  Which I get.  But im not sure Clemson can survive a loss even if they win the ACC.

Tennessee is 2019 LSU, other than LSU that year had a better defense. It wouldn’t surprise me if they go undefeated with a convincing win over Georgia Saturday. If they completely dominate Georgia, the talk of two sec teams in the cfp dies, other than a hope that bama can somehow beat Tennessee in the sec championship. It almost certainly kills any talk of three sec teams getting in. 

It appears that one "knock" on Michigan is the OOC schedule. 

Two things come to mind thinking about this.  First, Michigan had UCLA on the schedule and because of CV, that series was replaced.   

And, second, which FCS team(s) did Michigan play - or - are they scheduled to play this season?

I believe that several other more highly CFP ranked teams have played, or will play, FCS teams this season.  And, that group includes - Clemson vs Furman, Tennessee vs UT Martin, Georgia vs Samford, TCU vs Tarleton, Oregon vs Eastern Washington, LSU vs Southern, and Alabama vs Austin Peay.

What is missing from this list of teams that have FCS teams on their schedule this season?   B1G teams that are ranked highly in the CFP - which includes the Bucks and Michigan.

Of course, the selection committee and talking heads are "ripping" Michigan's OOC schedule - but, at the same time - they feel that an eight game conference schedule and an FCS opponent is "challenging".   

Just one more reason why an expanded playoff structure cannot be implemented soon enough.

No sense in fretting over it.

But holistically, this poll is one of the reasons why the sport NEEDS to go to 12. And this poll isn't even that bad! Yet it still shows the problems of the CFP committee, problems it has had every year in the past.

Re: Clemson over Michigan, they dinged Michigan for SOR and only 1 ranked win, despite every advanced metric showing Michigan is the better team than Clemson and hasn't even come close to losing a game (Clemson has already 2-3 times). Their reasoning is defensible though! I disagree with it, but Clemson does have a better resume overall.

But then they throw out this reasoning when it comes to Bama vs. TCU. It's the same argument. Bama by all advanced metrics is better than TCU, but TCU has more ranked wins and a better SOR than Bama. And they're undefeated! But because "they had to make comebacks to win" (wtf kind of argument is that?) they made the decision of Bama over TCU.

It's nonsensical. Michigan gets dinged for SOR while Bama doesn't. Michigan gets dinged for OOC schedule, but Clemson's OOC schedule is not much better. 

And anyway, SOR isn't the end-all be-all. You can only play the teams in front of you. This is why advanced metrics are important and should be considered. If you want to favor SOR and ranked wins over it, fine. Just be consistent, that's all I ask. Because Michigan is the better team by all advanced metrics, and while you can say "only 1 ranked win", that single win is better than any one of Clemson's three ranked wins. Both by ranking (we beat #15 vs. Clemson beating #20,21,22) and by performance (Michigan blew the doors off of PSU; Clemson barely scraped by in 2 of the games, and only won by 10 in the third).

Anyway, I have an issue with overly focusing on "ranked wins" especially when the CFP gets to decide who is ranked where (i.e. LSU at #10; and why tf is Texas ranked at 5-3 with 0 quality wins??? Do advanced metrics suddenly count now?)... If they had ranked Maryland #25 then suddenly Michigan has two ranked wins.

Bottom line is I can't wait to expand the playoff to avoid these conversations. Humans are NOT better than computers at polls. They can't adequately explain why one metric is the deciding factor for one ranking, and why that same metric is meaningless in another very similar ranking. 

The truth is that I never thought an 11-1 Michigan would ever have a realistic chance at the CFP anyway. I think they can slip up once in the next 3 weeks and still get in - the season comes down to beating OSU and winning the conference title game. If Michigan does that, they're in, even at 12-1. 

I think it's a good spot for us, beat OSU and we're in. Maybe I'm alone in this but if we don't beat OSU I would rather be in the Rose Bowl than the playoffs.