Worst Case Scenarios For Michigan Football CFP Seeding

This evening, No. 5 Oregon and No. 3 Washington will face off in the PAC-12 title game, officially marking the start of conference championship weekend — a series that pits the No. 2 Wolverines against the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten title game with a shot at the playoff on the line. The Maize and Blue are most likely already in, so long as they win tomorrow; however, there are a few worst-case scenarios when it comes to Michigan football CFP seeding — especially regarding Georgia, Alabama, and more.

Michigan football CFP seeding: where are the Wolverines landing?

Assuming Georgia takes care of its business tomorrow against the Crimson Tide, Michigan football will enter the 2023-24 College Football Playoff as the No. 2 team in the nation. It will be the third time in a row that the Wolverines make the CFP, with Michigan being ranked second all three times.

Now, if Georgia loses to Alabama on Saturday, things could get really messy for Michigan. In 2021, U-M got a horrible draw in the playoff, being pitted against the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs. This fall, what would be Michigan’s worst case scenario CFP seeing?

Georgia or Alabama comes in at No. 4

In 2021, Georgia was 12-0 (ranked No. 1), and Alabama was 11-1 heading into the SEC title game, and while the Bulldogs looked unstoppable all season long, Bama somehow came into the game and crushed UGA. If that happens this weekend, it sets up some potentially unfortunate situations for the Maize and Blue.

Now, to be clear, I think Michigan football has a fighting chance against either team, though facing them in round one is not ideal, to say the least. If the Bulldogs lose — and Michigan wins — Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines likely jump to No. 1, and either Georgia or Alabama will come in at No. 4. Playing a national title caliber SEC team like the Tide or the Dogs would be the worst Michigan football CFP seeding, similar to what was done in 2021 when Georgia dropped to No. 3 and faced No. 2 Michigan in the Orange Bowl.

Facing Oregon is not something that should excite anyone, either

Another possibility, one that is far more likely, is that Oregon wins tonight’s PAC-12 title game, sending Bo Nix and the Ducks to the College Football Playoff, replacing Washington as the No. 3 seed.

Now, while I do think that it would be pretty cool to see one last Big Ten champion vs. PAC-12 champion Rose Bowl game, the Ducks are no joke right now, and some even consider them to be more dangerous than Georgia this year.

While it feels very possible that Michigan and Oregon could face off in round one of the College Football Playoff this season, and it would undoubtedly be a fantastic football game, it’s a matchup that should not excite anyone on either side.

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