Paul Finebaum: Michigan needs to beat Texas to assure itself College Football Playoff berth

The Michigan Wolverines won the national championship in the final season of the four-team College Football Playoff. Now, the Wolverines are looking to defend that title in the era of the expanded 12-team Playoff.

This title defense comes as Michigan is undergoing more than its fair share of changes, including at head coach and quarterback. With that, the Wolverines are expected to take a small step back. Despite that, as analyst Paul Finebaum explained on Get Up, Michigan is still in a good place to assure itself of a College Football Playoff berth if the Wolverines can upset Texas.

“I don’t think [this is a rebuilding year],” Paul Finebaum said. “I think they have on the defensive side a good enough team to be a Playoff team. I think the schedule is not their friend. So, they’re gonna have to pull an upset.”

The expansion of the Playoff coincides with the expansion of the Big Ten. That has made for an interesting schedule for Michigan this season, which includes conference games against USC, Washington, Oregon, and Ohio State. Dropping a pair of those difficult games isn’t unlikely. Because of that, a marquee win to keep Michigan at 10 wins would go a long way to helping the Wolverines return to the Playoff.

“Second week of the season, Texas comes in there and everybody knows we spent last week talking about [Steve] Sarkisian and Texas,” Finebaum said. “That’s a game they probably need to win to get far along because there’s a couple of games they’re not going to win. So, I think for Michigan, 10-2 will get them in. 9-3 and it’s gonna be a long Saturday night on Selection Sunday weekend.”

Ultimately, it’s difficult to predict how the season and Playoff will work out, and a big part of whether Michigan can make the Playoff at 9-3 or needs to get to 10 wins will come down to how other teams around the country do. At the same time, it’s a fine line and a big win over Texas would be a major help.

ESPN analysts question Michigan in Year 1 post-Jim Harbaugh

There are those with concerns about Michigan in the wake of Jim Harbaugh. That included coming from ESPN analyst Peter Burns.

“Yeah, the show goes on. It’s not gonna be a blockbuster flop. I mean, you know who’s not walking through that door? JJ McCarthy is not walking through that door. You know who’s not walking through that door? 12 other NFL draft picks that are playing on Sunday. You know who’s not walking through that door? Connor Stalions. All of that has changed,” Burns said.

“Harry, you start looking at this schedule right now. Ohio State, okay, they’re not as good as Ohio State. They’re not as good as Oregon. They’re gonna get thumped by Texas when the Longhorns go up there in Week 2. This is likely a four-loss team for Michigan up there in the Big Ten.”