Michigan Football doesn’t need to beat Notre Dame to make CFB Playoff

Michigan football needs to beat Notre Dame for a bunch of reasons but it’s not required to make the College Football Playoff.

There is no question that the season-opening game between Michigan football and Notre Dame is going to be huge. And ultimately, it’s a game that could have some impact on the playoff picture down the road.

The Fighting Irish certainly need to take advantage of the chance to beat a quality opponent right off the bat to start the season. An impressive win for them or Michigan football could set the tone for a playoff campaign. But what about the team that drops that first game? Is their playoff dream going to be doomed right from the get-go?

In the case of Notre Dame, it will be difficult. The Irish probably can’t afford another loss all season if they fall to the Wolverines in the opening game. Michigan, on the other hand, can easily recover from a road loss to Notre Dame, especially a close loss.

The Wolverines are capable of winning this game, sure. If Shea Patterson plays well and the defense is as good as advertised, Jim Harbaugh and crew could definitely leave South Bend with a win. The question is what if they don’t?

While it would be a drag on early-season momentum, it wouldn’t be the death knell for Michigan. In fact, it’s easy to see the Wolverines potentially making it as a two-loss team, should they win the Big Ten East and the Big Ten Championship.

It just matters what other teams the Wolverines lose to. If Michigan goes down to Notre Dame but is able to beat Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State, it would still win the Big Ten East and play in the Big Ten title game. A slip up to Wisconsin, Nebraska or Northwestern could be costly, but there would probably be enough impressive wins to overcome that.

The Wolverines would definitely need to beat Ohio State. Running the table would be preferable. Yet, in the Big Ten, with its new nine-game schedule, that’s not going to be easy. Obviously, this is down-the-road talk, it was just a thought I had in my mind.

Certainly, the Notre Dame game is huge. Michigan football needs to prove it can win a big game like this again before any playoff talk is warranted at all. The playoffs also won’t be anything more than a pipe dream until UM starts beating the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Spartans.

The good news, however, is that Michigan football doesn’t need to win that first game to make the playoffs. The Big Ten is tough enough that a conference championship with one or two defeats would probably do the trick.

Does that mean Michigan shouldn’t try to beat Notre Dame? Of course not. Beating the Irish will look impressive on any resume, it just not a make or break game for the Wolverines, at least not for their 2018 College Football Playoff hopes anyway.