Ball security is job security, yours and mine. If the Michigan Wolverines want any sliver of hope of making it back to the College Football Playoff this season, it starts with taking better care of the football. Michigan turned the ball over five times in their "neutral-site" win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. With only Maryland and Ohio State left on the schedule, now is time to get it together.
Angelique S. Chengelis wrote about Michigan's turnover woes for The Detroit News on Sunday afternoon. Michigan had a field day turning the ball over at will vs. a Northwestern team that is still not bowl eligible. Bryce Underwood threw two picks, while Michigan had two fumbles and a muffed punt go in Northwestern's favor. The Wolverines were still able to win on a last-second field goal, 24-22...
Looking at Michigan's playoff chances coming in, ESPN's Football Power Index is only giving them an 8.9-percent chance to make the 12-team field. While the Oklahoma loss is not going to ruin them, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to USC may be what costs them. Should the Trojans win out with victories over Oregon and UCLA, they would be getting in at 10-2, while the Ducks may be out of it...
Sherrone Moore is still learning how to be a great head coach, but he does have Ohio State's number.
Michigan has no shot at the CFP if the Wolverines turn the ball over at will
To be quite honest, the Wolverines not only need to stop giving the ball away constantly, but they may need to be on the plus-side of that when taking on Ohio State in a few weeks. While Michigan can merely show up and beat Maryland because hash tag turtle up, the Wolverines would need to really hunker down if it were to keep the streak alive vs. the Buckeyes. Will this be enough for the playoff?
Potentially. The only way Michigan makes it in is if the Wolverines beat Ohio State, assuming a breezy victory over the Terrapins. At 10-2 (8-1), Michigan would have an extreme outside shot at getting to Indianapolis to take on presumably Indiana. They would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Ohio State, but would need for USC to fall, although probably not to Oregon. Either way, it is all about 10-2.
Entering Week 13, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas A&M are all locks to make the playoff. Ole Miss and Texas Tech are effectively there. While the odds are in Alabama, Notre Dame and Oregon's favor to make it in, they do not have any real margin for error. Throw in two other bids for conference champions, and we are running out of space. Can Michigan get one of the last spots in? Not likely...
If they do, it will only be because they emphasized ball security and that they beat Ohio State again.