College Football Playoff path is clear for Michigan football after first rankings

There wasn't much drama or surprise when it came to the College Football Rankings, at least from a Michigan football perspective.

The Wolverines were ranked No. 21 in the latest AP and Coaches Polls. That's the same ranking that Michigan football got from the College Football Playoff committee.

Iowa is ranked ahead of Michigan, which was a bit of a surprise. The Hawkeyes are unranked in the other polls, but they are ahead of the Wolverines. Iowa also faces Oregon on Saturday, so that could be short lived.

USC is another team ranked ahead of Michigan football. The Trojans also have two losses. They are ranked 19th right now. Oregon is ranked 9th. Ohio State is No. 1 and Indiana is No. 2. Texas A&M (No. 3), Alabama (No. 4), and Georgia (No. 5) round out the top five.

The rankings don't mean much for Michigan football

As it stands the College Football Rankings don't mean that much for Michigan football. They are about 10 spots from where they need to be.

However, if the Wolverines win their next three games, they will make up the ground they need to make up. Currently, they control their own destiny in the Big Ten title race. If Michigan wins out, the Wolverines will advance to the Big Ten title game.

As long as Michigan finishes 10-2 with a win over Ohio State, the Wolverines will be a top-10 team. That's the easy part. The hard part wil be defeating Ohio State for the fifth straight time.