After a 24-22 win over Northwestern that came down to the final second, there was some question about whether Michigan football would drop in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
After they were released on Tuesday night, Michigan held firm at No. 18. That's the same ranking for Michigan in the AP Poll.
The Wolverines are one spot behind three-loss Texas. USC, Vanderbilt, BYU, Utah, and Georgia Tech are some of the other teams ranked ahead of the Wolverines.
Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team at 13th. Assuming they win the league championship, that would leave 10 spots left for at-large berths.
Can Michigan football climb into the top 10?
The mission for the Wolverines over the next 2-3 weeks is clear. They have to move up eight spots to reach the College Football Playoff.
That's going to be a big ask. However, Michigan will host undefeated Ohio State, the defending national champion in the final week of the season. If Michigan wins that game and finishes 10-2, it's hard to see the Wolverines missing the 12-team playoff.
Georgia could help Michigan by defeating Georgia Tech, although only one ACC team is going anyway. The Wolverines would need to win the Big Ten championship game to guarantee themselves a playoff berth.
Yet, that will only happen with two wins, plus a loss by USC this week, before a loss by Oregon next week against Washington. Michigan would move up a few spots with a win over Ohio State but would it jump someone like Alabama? Can Oklahoma keep winning?
Lots of things can happen between now and the final selection Sunday. For Michigan, though, the only thing that matters is beating Ohio State.