ESPN writer excludes Michigan football from top 4

The official first wave of College Football Playoff rankings are about to be released at the beginning of next montht! There are quite a few major programs — such as Michigan football, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, and many more — with a real argument to be ranked among the nation’s top 4 teams right now; however, the Wolverines (ranked No. 2 in the AP and coaches polls), are one of few remaining unbeaten teams. Still, that did not stop Heather Dinich of ESPN from excluding the Maize and Blue from her initial CFP rankings.

ESPN writer excludes Michigan football from top 4

Since the start of the 2023 college football season, Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines have been ranked No. 2 in the land; in fact, Michigan football was even ranked 2nd nationally in this year’s preseason polls. That said, Heather Dinich, a well-known college football journalist with ESPN, recently ranked her top 4 heading into November, and the Wolverines didn’t make the cut.

Now, some of Dinich’s ranking here could be due to the sign-stealing scandal, which is a topic I am sure all of our readers are quite familiar with, and, frankly, tired of hearing about. Still, there are real concerns that the CFP committee may take this into account when ranking Michigan — there is little chance that the Wolverines are excluded altogether, but the scandal and Michigan’s softer schedule thus far may see the Maize and Blue take a slight hit in the rankings.

“(Warde Manuel) does have to recuse himself during the discussions about where to place Michigan. But the College Football Playoff has not given any particular statement as to how they will direct the committee if they will to handle it,” Heather Dinich said, explaining the situation with Michigan football and the College Football Playoff to Paul Finebaum. “The only official statement that CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock has issued on this is that if a team is eligible to participate in a bowl game, it is eligible to be ranked by the committee.”

Dinich ranks Ohio State No. 1, Florida State No. 2, Georgia No. 3, and Washington No. 4. A lot can change between now and the final CFP rankings, which have ranked Michigan football at No. 2 heading into both of the past two playoffs.

Another point worth making is that, despite the hype surrounding the initial rankings, Michigan football still has to get past Penn State and Ohio State in the coming month — if the Wolverines can do that, presumably leading to a third-straight Big Ten title, they will be in the College Football Playoff without a doubt, perhaps even ranked No. 1 depending on how Georgia’s season pans out.

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