Kirk Herbstreit reveals why Michigan moves to No. 1 ahead of Georgia in his CFP rankings

Kirk Herbstreit made an interesting change to his College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday, moving Michigan to the No. 1 spot. The Wolverines jumped Georgia in doing so as the Bulldogs moved down to the No. 2 according to the ESPN analyst.

Herbstreit explained why on ESPN’s College Football Playoff: Top 25 show, saying he likes what he’s seen out of the Michigan defense thus far. The Wolverines rank No. 1 in the country in points allowed per game (6.7) and second in yards allowed per game (233.1). They’ve given up double digit points only once this season in Week 6 against Minnesota.

Admittedly, some of that has to do with a weak schedule to this point as Michigan has yet to face a top 25 opponent and have a strength of schedule ranking of 113th according to ESPN. However, it has done what it should so far and at least deserves credit for the dominant way it has won those games.

“If I look at Michigan, I realize, yeah I’d like to see a better nonconference, but the players can’t control that,” Herbstreit said. “They can control what they do on the field against the opponents that they have played. I’ve had Georgia No. 1 all along and this week I decided to flip that and move Michigan up to No. 1. I think the main reason is, look at that defense. Just look at the consistency.

“You can say all you want about they haven’t played anybody, and that’s fine. We’ll find out because, like you said, they have some games coming up. Of course, Penn State and Ohio State to find out who they really are. But I think they should be rewarded for doing what you’re supposed to do against the opponents they’ve played.”

The Wolverines have won their games this season by an average margin of 32.7 points. Compare that to Georgia, which struggled early in conference play and even trailed at times against South Carolina and Auburn, and it’s clear to see why the ESPN analyst would flip the two.

With star tight end Brock Bowers recently undergoing surgery, it casts even more doubt on the Bulldogs’ chances of three-peating as national champions.

Herbstreit also noted that the Michigan offense has looked a lot better in recent weeks. The Wolverines averaged just 31.8 points per game across their first four contests of the season, but have put up 49.7 over the past three weeks.

Quarterback JJ McCarthy has scored a combined nine touchdowns (six passing, three rushing) in those games with no interceptions. Herbstreit believes he is playing “as good as any quarterback in the country,” and that only strengthens the Wolverines’ case.

“Once Jim Harbaugh got back, the offense seems to have more continuity,” he said. “JJ McCarthy is executing at a level probably as good as any quarterback in the country. If you want to knock ’em for anything, you can knock ’em for who they played, but you can’t knock ’em for how they’re executing in all three phases of the game. That’s why I have them right now as the top team in the country.”

Michigan will look to continue rolling as it heads into a matchup against in-state rival Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in East Lansing.