Michigan fans need to root for plenty of chaos on top of The Game to punch ticket to College Football Playoff seed
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The biggest game of the year has finally arrived for the Michigan Wolverines. The Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The stakes are clear: Win, and the Wolverines are likely putting themselves in the College Football Playoff picture with a slim chance for the Big Ten Championship. Lose, and Michigan’s postseason hopes fall to a bowl game.
A victory over Ohio State won’t guarantee the Wolverines a spot in the playoffs, however. What teams should fans be rooting for to help the Wolverines’ schedule out enough to help put them one step closer to another berth in the College Football Playoff?
Purdue OVER #2 Indiana
Is this one going to happen? Yeah probably not, but believe it or not, a Purdue win over Indiana would help Michigan get into the Big Ten Championship game if they take down the Buckeyes. They don’t outright need it to make the conference championship, but it would certainly help.
Washington OVER #6 Oregon
This would be the other game the Wolverines need an upset in to help make the Big Ten title game, and this one is much likelier to happen than Purdue taking down Indiana. Not only would this help Michigan make the conference championship, it would also help boost their strength of schedule, as Washington will likely be ranked at this point after beating the Oregon Ducks. Michigan having a dominant win over the Huskies would only help their resume when stacked up against other two-loss teams vying for at-large bids like Vanderbilt and Miami.
#8 Oklahoma OVER LSU
It’s pretty self-explanatory here. The better the Oklahoma Sooners are ranked, the better Michigan’s resume looks at the end. A non-playoff bound Oklahoma likely diminishes Michigan’s quality losses to the point where they likely get kept out off of strength of schedule alone, win over Ohio State or no.
#22 Pitt OVER #12 Miami
To help guarantee an at-large bid over the field, the Wolverines need as many two-loss teams ahead of them to lose out. Miami losing and having no chance at either an at-large bid or an ACC championship bid keeps the field open for the Wolverines.
#19 Tennessee OVER #14 Vanderbilt
Much like with Miami going down, another two-loss team ahead of the Wolverines going down significantly boosts their odds for securing an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff. If both of them go down, Michigan likely finishes the year as a top-12 seed, with a resume strong enough to qualify for an at-large position over the remaining teams like Utah or potentially BYU.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Nov 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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