As the Buckeyes were in meltdown mode against Purdue last night, JUB tweeted this:
I know college football fans, the most passionate in the country, cannot do this, but Michigan fans should know it’s better for them if Ohio State wins. Now, feel free to ignore this, and return to your schadenfreude.
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) October 21, 2018
By “it’s better for them if Ohio State wins”, Bacs is projecting out Michigan’s resume in a discussion around who gets in the playoff. Yes, beating a top-ish ranked & undefeated Ohio State in Columbus would look better in a beauty contest.
First of all let’s be so fortunate that Michigan wins the rest of its games including the finale in the Snake Pit. That’s still a tall order.
Then there’s the playoff itself. I like that the playoff exists, and when the time comes I’ll get into the discussion around who should get into the playoff as much as anyone.
For me it comes down to this: U-M is 14 years now without a B1G championship. We’re firmly stuck on 42 (remember, Hoke used to make us say it?) and obviously haven’t even played for a title since the conference split in 2011. The playoff is far from a want or a concern right now. I’ll settle for a crack at the title. I get there’s a correlation but right now I’m much more excited about the prospect of playing in Indy for a title then say, playing Clemson in the Cotton Bowl on December 29th.
So no, I’m not going to bite on the week-to-week resume’ comparisons as we march toward November 24. Count me as one who won’t give a crap about the playoff projections, or resumes, or the first playoff selection committee rankings that come out in a couple weeks.
One Comment
Michael
I totally agree! This week-by-week run of “if the playoffs were today…” is rediculous! For weeks the talking heads kept putting Alabama and Georgia in the mix, countless scenarios for how to get two SEC teams in. Then Georgia tanked. Oops. Now its ‘bama and LSU. Except, they play each other…
Meanwhile, KENTUCKY owns the tie-breaker with FL in the SEC East, so if UK and the Gators win out (handing GA its second loss) then KENTUCKY goes to the SEC playoff to face … who? Alabama, presumably, but maybe LSU if ‘bama has a bad day?
But WHY EVEN TALK ABOUT IT NOW??? These guys are already trying to put Alabama and LSU into the PLAYOFF together, and UK doesn’t even get mentioned. Or Florida. And never mind that you’d have to drop the Pac 12 champ, the Big 12 Champ AND the B1G champ to do it and keep an undefeated Notre Dame in the mix…
So lets take it one game at a time. Penn State will be a good game, but very winnable. Then roll through Indiana and Rutgers, taking each down in turn. And then OSU.
Win those games. Then go to Indy and win THAT one.
And then…. Then we can talk about a rematch with Notre Dame.
Though I have to admit, the romantic in me would love to see our season end where it began – on the field facing Notre Dame in the mother-of-all grudge matches, with the NATIONAL TITLE on the line!
That would be EPIC!
And whatever the rest of the “resumes” look like, that rematch is why Michigan WILL be in the playoff if they win out and win the B1G. It will be irresistible to the selection committee.