What Should Michigan Football Fans Hope For In CFP?

Today is selection Sunday, where the four-team College Football Playoff field will finally be decided. With the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowls acting as this year’s semi-final games, who will the Wolverines be facing? Well, with Alabama’s massive upset of No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, it appears that the Wolverines will get their pick of venue as the top seed this year, though that remains to be seen. Additionally, aside from U-M and Washington being the top two seeds, there are a number of potential round-one opponents for the Maize and Blue, including Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, and Texas. But who should Michigan football fans be hoping for?

Michigan football fans should want Alabama and Georgia to miss the College Football Playoff

First off, there are two teams that Michigan football, or any other team, for that matter, should not want to face in the semi-final round: Georgia and Alabama. Both are 12-1 right now, and either has a shot at making it at No. 4 this season, though these two SEC powers are arguably the top programs in college football right now. In fact, with Texas holding a head-to-head win over Bama, everyone’s best-case scenario is likely both UGA and the Crimson Tide missing the playoff entirely.

Florida State is the ideal first-round opponent for a top-ranked Michigan squad

If Michigan football gets into the playoff as the one-seed, the first team that the Wolverines should want to play is Florida State. The Noles are 13-0, sure, but they have looked horrible without their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, who remains out with an injury ahead of the CFP selection Sunday. FSU is universally known as the weakest playoff contender right now, and while some people suspect that Florida State will miss the playoff entirely this year due to their QB situation, the Noles are who all fans should want their Wolverines to face in the semi-final.

What about Texas?

Another team that could make the College Football Playoff is the Texas Longhorns, who just won the Big 12 title in dominant fashion. Would it make sense for a fantastic Texas team to be ranked below Florida State? That can be debated, though that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It’s worth noting that some feel that Alabama should get in over Texas, completely ignoring the Longhorns’ ten-point win in Alabama’s own stadium earlier this year — that has to count for something, right?

Rose Bowl bound

It feels safe to assume that Michigan football won’t be facing Washington anymore — I’d guess that No. 2 Michigan bumps up to No. 1 and No. 3 Washington jumps to No. 2 in the new rankings. Seeing as all of the playoff’s other contenders are in the south, it is a safe bet that Michigan will pick the Rose Bowl game as the nation’s top-ranked team, facing one of the teams I outlined above.

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