Michigan football Week 11 bowl projections: CFP predictions still holding firm
The Michigan Wolverines will learn their most recent College Football Playoff ranking on Tuesday night with the second reveal of the committee’s rankings. Last week, Michigan ranked No. 3 in the land, and it seems likely the committee will run that ranking back this time around.
But for now, Michigan feels firmly in the CFP hunt and has a major showcase game on Saturday at Penn State that could cement itself one way or another by the time next week’s rankings roll around.
Here’s an updated look at the projections for the postseason destination from across the national media.
ESPN.com – Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach
In the latest bowl/CFP projections from Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN, Michigan heads to the CFP’s Rose Bowl semifinal. Bonagura has Michigan playing Florida State, while Schlabach predicts a matchup with future Big Ten foe Oregon.
“After the first College Football Playoff rankings were released last week, it was tempting to adjust the bowl projections using that information,” Bonagura wrote about his projection. “However, it’s still worth noting that these are mostly an attempt at projecting what things will look like at the end of the season, while the rankings represent how the committee evaluated the teams to this point.
“So, even though Ohio State topped the first rankings, the Buckeyes continue to be on the outside looking in for my projections. Setting aside the objectively hilarious (for unaffected parties) sign-stealing scandal going on in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been the most dominant team this season. And from a playoff perspective, the most likely scenario is that it’s either the Wolverines or Ohio State getting in from the Big Ten — though you could drum up a set of circumstances where both get in.”
CBS Sports – Jerry Palm
The CBS Sports projections have Michigan and Florida State playing in the Rose Bowl as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Georgia and Texas would play in the Sugar Bowl with the winners of both games heading to Houston.
As far as the other Big Ten Powers go, Ohio State would play Louisville in the Orange Bowl and Penn State would take on Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
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Athlon Sports – Steven Lassan
Starting to notice a pattern here? Athlon is another outlet that has a Michigan vs. Florida State matchup in the Rose Bowl with Georgia and Texas on the other side of the bracket. Athlon also projects at Michigan vs. Georgia national title game in Houston.
Action Network – Brett McMurphy
McMurphy has Michigan playing Florida State in the Rose Bowl and has a line set at four points in favor of the Wolverines. U-M would then advance to the national title game in Houston against Georgia (a 0.5-point favorite over Oregon in the Sugar Bowl), which Action Network currently has set as a pick’em game.
Sporting News – Bill Bender
The Sporting News also has Michigan taking on Florida State in the Rose Bowl and meeting Georgia in the national title game. The Bulldogs would be taking on Ohio State in their Sugar Bowl matchup.
“The Wolverines are still facing scrutiny for a sign-stealing scandal, but they have outscored Michigan State and Purdue by a combined total of 90-13 the last two weeks,” Bender writes. “Florida State continues to cruise in the ACC. The Wolverines and Seminoles are both in the top five in the FBS in fewest turnovers. The quarterback matchup between J.J. McCarthy and Jordan Travis would be as advertised.”
College Football News
The team over at College Football News also has Michigan in the Rose Bowl, but taking on the Texas Longhorns. Georgia and Florida State meet on the other side of the bracket in the Sugar Bowl. The outlet is also picking a Michigan vs. Georgia national title game.
