Despite two top-25 teams remaining on the schedule, ESPN’s FPI predicts Michigan will still finish bowl eligible this season:
Only three regular season games remain for the Michigan Wolverines , and this season has been nothing short of a disappointment. The maize and blue took a massive step back, and after losing to Oregon this weekend, are on the brink of bowl eligibility at 5-4.
Despite a subpar 5-4 record, ESPN’s FPI still ranks the Wolverines as the No. 46 team in the country. That’s a seven-spot fall from last week when Michigan beat in-state rival Michigan State . Along with the drop in the rankings was a drop in their chance of being .500 by the end of the season. It now sits at 82.3 percent, down from 88.7 percent a week ago.
Part of the reason they are ranked so high is because of who their losses have come against. Illinois is No. 56, Washington is No. 41 overall, Oregon has moved up to No. 7, and Texas sits at No. 1. And, the Wolverines beat USC, the No. 17 team in the FPI, earlier this season.
Remaining on the calendar is a game at the FPI’s No. 10 Indiana this weekend, a home game against No. 78 Northwestern, and at No. 2 Ohio State . The Wildcats are projected to lose their final three games of the season, which would push the Wolverines to 6-6.
Bloomington will surely be buzzing this weekend as the Wolverines come to town. Indiana is off to its first 9-0 start in program history in Curt Cignetti’s first season. The Hoosiers have an 86.6 percent chance of making the playoffs with games against Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue still on the schedule. That’s the fifth-best odds in the FPI model behind only Oregon, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State.
The Wolverines will have the chance to play playoff buster in the next few weeks with opportunities to sour the seasons of Ohio State and Indiana. Despite the loss to Oregon, the Wolverines played one of their most well-rounded games of the season. It seems like they are prepping to play some of their best ball at the right time, but they will continue to be underdogs against the Hoosiers and Buckeyes. Maybe they’ll have just enough to pull of a surprise or two down the home stretch.