New Michigan football bowl projections

The College Football Playoff hopes for the Michigan Wolverines went away after losing to Ohio State on Saturday.

However, they still will have a good bowl to play in to close out their season.

Wolverine fans will now find themselves in an odd situation, one in which they’ll have to root for Ohio State to make the CFP.

Why is that? Because if the Buckeyes make the playoff, that would just short of guarantee the Wolverines would be headed to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Let’s take a look at new bowl projections from various outlets:

Sports Illustrated: Peach Bowl- Michigan vs Florida

CBS Sports Jerry Palm: Rose Bowl- Michigan vs Washington

SB Nation: Rose Bowl- Michigan vs Washington

If a team doesn’t make the playoff, the best bowl for them to play in is the Rose Bowl, it isn’t even close. The pageantry, the attendance, the history, no other bowl compares to it.

In order for Michigan to receive a bid to the Rose Bowl, they are going to need some help:

• Alabama will have to beat Georgia
• Ohio State will have to beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship
• Oklahoma must either lose to Texas or the committee selects OSU over Oklahoma

Michigan wants Big Ten and National Championships, but quarterback Shea Patterson still considers the season a success for the Wolverines.

“We have a chance to have an 11-win season. I know that’s not our ultimate goal, I know that’s not reaching our top expectation, but we have a chance to win 11 games and I think that’s a successful season,” Patterson said.