Michigan football bowl projections, playoff matchups coming into focus
Michigan football will play for a Big Ten Championship on Saturday night in Indianapolis, where it is expected to take care of business against Purdue. Regardless, the Wolverines are playoff bound after defeating Ohio State over the weekend.
A win over Purdue should lock Michigan at least into the 2 seed if Georgia beats LSU in the SEC title game. Some will make the argument the Wolverines could leap them, but this feels like the most logical outcome. The Wolverines and Bulldogs handle their business, the CFP committee likely slots Georgia to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta with Michigan heading to Glendale, Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl.
Georgia and Michigan are locks for the playoff. Right now, TCU and USC, respectively, just have to win their conference championship games to get in. Either of them losing opens the door for Ohio State to slide back in. Some believe OSU still has a claim, but a three-score loss at home and no conference championship will be tough to sell to get in over the other two teams.
As of now, every bowl projection has Michigan heading to the Fiesta Bowl to play TCU. Perhaps the eyeball test could affect who winds up as the 3-seed, but the projections are quite clear this week. A few of the outlets go a step further and projected a national title game berth and rematch against Georgia.
The national outlets are in lockstep on Michigan. Here is a look at where the full cast of characters have the Wolverines going.
Michigan football’s bowl projections: Championship weekend
Sports Illustrated: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
USA Today: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA), CFP National Championship in Inglewood, California vs. Georgia (Jan. 9, TBA)
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA), CFP National Championship in Inglewood, California vs. Georgia (Jan. 9, TBA)
CBS Sports: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
The Athletic: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
Athlon Sports: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
Action Network: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA)
Sporting News: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA), CFP National Championship in Inglewood, California vs. Georgia (Jan. 9, TBA)
College Football News: CFP Semifinal at Fiesta Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 31, TBA), CFP National Championship in Inglewood, California vs. Georgia (Jan. 9, TBA)
What’s next for the Wolverines?
Michigan keeps their 2022 season rolling on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game against Purdue. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:17 p.m. ET on FOX.
