Michigan Football: How CFB Week 8 impacted the Wolverines
Michigan football was off during College Football Week 8 and here’s a look at what happened around the Big Ten and the country that impacts the Wolverines.
Saturday was sort of the calm before the storm for Michigan football fans. It was the last day before it officially becomes Michigan State week.
We are now less than a week away from another epic showdown between the Wolverines and the Spartans and frankly, throw the records out. This rivalry has gone to an entirely new level and since Mel Tucker is 2-0 against Jim Harbaugh, it’s a must-win for Michigan football.
Not only do the Wolverines want to end that losing streak, but they also need to keep pace in the Big Ten title race. Sitting at 4-0, the key is getting to that final game undefeated or with at least one loss.
Ohio State doesn’t look like anybody is going to slow it down, except maybe Michigan, as the Buckeyes destroyed Iowa on Saturday 54-10. Penn State also bounced back in impressive fashion, destroying Minnesota by a score of 45-17.
That certainly washes away the narrative of Michigan football beating a Penn State team that wasn’t that good. We always seem to hear that when the Wolverines win, “Oh they (said team) was overrated.”
It’s hard to say that about Penn State now. The Nittany Lions look legitimate and it’s worth noting that Ohio State has only beaten one team with a winning record. (The Buckeyes play at Penn State on Saturday).
Michigan’s resume isn’t that much better but after Maryland beat Northwestern on Saturday, it’s fair to acknowledge that Maryland is 6-2 and better than we all thought.
The Wolverines haven’t played murderers’ row and two Big Ten wins came against three-win Indiana and three-win Iowa, but by the same notion, the win by Maryland looks better every week.
Why Michigan football’s resume could matter
The bottom line is that if Michigan football wins out, it’s going back to the College Football Playoff. Even if it finished as a 12-1 Big Ten champion, it would likely have the same fate as 2021.
So resumes and all that stuff doesn’t really matter. However, if the Wolverines went to Columbus at 11-0 and lost a close game to Ohio State, it could matter.
Georgia had 12 wins last season and lost only to Alabama but they made the playoff as a non-conference champion and we’ve seen Ohio State do it before, even ahead of the Big Ten champ.
So on that front, it was good to see UCLA get knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten. Clemson would need to lose next and probably more than once, which is why Syracuse winning would have helped.
However, a one-loss Michigan team without a Big Ten title making the playoff seems like a long shot. Alabama and Tennessee each losing before the SEC title game would help too.
Next. Michigan Football bye week roundtable. dark
Yet, a lot of teams would need to lose and the reality is that if Michigan keeps winning, it won’t matter. But if the Wolverines head to the Ohio State game 11-0, a win could even clinch a playoff berth, but a loss will mean a trip to Rose Bowl and nothing short of insanity will change that.