Michigan football was snubbed in initial CFP rankings

Tuesday night, the initial College Football Playoff rankings were released. Among these rankings were teams like LSU (No. 10), Alabama (No. 6), Ohio State (No. 2), and more. One of the more notable rankings on the list was Michigan, who came in at No. 5 — only behind Tennessee (1), Ohio State (2), Georgia (3), and Clemson (4).

The top four

Tennessee, Ohio State, and Georgia all absolutely deserve their place in these rankings. All three are undefeated with some solid wins, and No. 1 Tennessee has already beaten Kentucky, LSU, and Alabama this year.

Clemson, however, is the one that sticks out. The Tigers are unquestionably the least deserving of a top-4, or even a top-5 spot in the polls this week.

I get it, Clemson has won a few national titles lately, but man the Tigers have not looked good this year.

Clemson’s resume

Clemson does have one thing going for it right now: three ranked wins; albeit very weak wins. Thus far Clemson has beaten No. 21 Wake Forrest (51-45 OT), No. 22 NC State (30-20), and No. 20 Syracuse (27-21).

The Tigers’ non-conference schedule doesn’t get a whole lot better, either. Clemson faced Louisiana Tech (currently 2-6, 1-3 C-USA), Furman (FCS program), and Notre Dame (currently 5-3 overall). Sure, Michigan football didn’t play the best non-conference schedule this year, but you cannot tell me that Clemson’s is really any better — an average Notre Dame team being the exception.

In fact, Clemson beat Furman, an FCS (DI-AA) school 35-12 in their home stadium and allowed 20 points to LA Tech. Michigan’s schedule was just as easy, but the Wolverines at least blew out their cupcake opponents.

How does Michigan compare?

The Wolverines have only played one ranked team: No. 10 (now No. 15) Penn State. In that game — against the Nittany Lions’ top-ranked defense and gritty offense — Michigan ran for over 400 yards on the ground and put up 41 total points. Penn State only managed one offensive touchdown and settled for a close field goal early in the second half.

According to TeamRankings.Com, Michigan football has the 30th-ranked strength of schedule right now. Clemson’s ranks 36th. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) ranks Michigan at No. 4, while Clemson sits at No. 7. If we compare best wins, Michigan holds a 41-17 win over one of the best 10 or so teams in the nation — Penn State — who will likely finish the year 10-2 with a trip to a New Year’s Six game.

Clemson’s best win? Likely a six-point comeback win at home against No. 20 Syracuse. Let me put it like this, would you rather have one Ferrari or three Ford Fusions? That is frankly what the “resume” debate comes down to. Clemson has a handful of unimpressive wins over bottom-feeder top-25 teams, while Michigan has looked great in nearly every game including its beatdown of Penn State and, most recently, Michigan State.

Things to keep in mind

There are a few things to keep in mind here as well. First off, these are just the initial rankings — Michigan football will have plenty of chances to rise and fall in the final weeks of the season. Secondly, all the Wolverines need to do to get in for sure is beat Ohio State. Easier said than done, I know, but that would secure a spot without a doubt.

Michigan is still yet to face two ranked teams in the final four weeks: No. 16 Illinois (7-1) and No. 2 Ohio State (8-0). Plenty of room for “resume boosters” if the Wolverines can win one or both of these games.

Clemson will not face another ranked team all year. The Tigers play Notre Dame this weekend and will close out the season against Louisville (5-3), Miami (4-4), and South Carolina (5-3). All three of those teams are average at best and should not do anything for Clemson’s “resume” argument. Then again, “average” is about as good as Clemson’s schedule gets this year.

The goal for Michigan football is simple: win. Winning will make all of this go away, so the Wolverines need to take things one game at a time and stay in the win column.