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With the big win on the road against Penn State last weekend, the Michigan Wolverines only have Maryland to clear before securing a New Year’s Six bowl barring some wild circumstances. As you’ll see from the predictions, they have mostly coalesced around one destination, with just a couple outliers.
CBS Sports
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) vs. Oregon, Jan. 1
Athlon
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) vs. Oregon, Jan. 1
Action Network
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) vs. Oregon, Jan. 1
College Football News
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) vs. Oregon, Jan. 1
247Sports
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) vs. Utah, Jan. 1
So yeah, Michigan is likely to play in the Rose Bowl if the season plays out as most expect. This would mean Michigan beats Maryland, and Ohio State beats both Michigan State and Michigan to end the season.
This would put Ohio State in the playoff again and leave both Michigan and Michigan State at 10-2 (assuming Michigan State also beats Penn State). Despite the Spartans head-to-head win, Michigan is ranked higher and the Rose Bowl committee has already said they would take the next highest Big Ten team that doesn’t make the playoff.
ESPN
Kyle Bonagura: Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA) vs. Wake Forest, Dec. 30
Mark Schlabach: Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) vs. Notre Dame, Jan. 1
Interestingly, both ESPN writers are the only two who didn’t put Michigan in the Rose Bowl. They both selected Michigan State, which means they’re either expecting Michigan State to jump Michigan in the rankings or that Michigan will lose out.
Both of the predictions here have been made plenty of times in previous weeks. The Fiesta Bowl would probably be preferable because of the opponent and the fact it’s on Jan. 1 instead of Dec. 30.