On this episode of The Wolverine Podcast, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome break down the Michigan players that did — and didn’t — make Lindy’s preseason All-Big Ten teams, Phil Steele’s unit rankings, Andy Staples’ projected 12-team playoff (Michigan vs. Notre Dame in December at The Big House?!) and Ohio State staff member Erin Dunston heading to Michigan.
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Staples released his projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, which listed Michigan as the No. 8 seed hosting No. 9 seed Notre Dame in the first round. The winner would take on No. 1 seed Ohio State in the second round.
“Michigan vs. Notre Dame in the first round of the playoff, it would be incredible,” Sayfie said. “The only thing … I want to see Notre Dame host a southern team, and I want to host a southern team, if they both get in the playoff this year. Because them coming to the midwest in December would be awesome, because we always talk about, Michigan goes and plays in the Orange Bowl, they play against Florida State. They play in the Orange Bowl, they play against Georgia.
“It feels like there are no advantages for northern teams in this sport. But now in December that’s gonna happen sometimes. There could be a case, you look at Alabama here hosting Boise State, you get in as Boise State, I think you’re pretty happy with being in the 5-12 game, but that’s gonna be a tough task for you.
“… there are still advantages for the southern team when they host a northern team in some of these games, but it’s probably not the same advantage as it would be if Michigan’s hosting Ole Miss or something like that.
“Michigan players know what 80-degree weather looks like. It’s 80 degrees here right now. But a lot of Ole Miss players may not know what 25-degree weather looks like with snow while playing football. And when the Michigan players are more ready for that, like they’ve proven to be over the years — rain, sleet, snow, Michigan has been a really good team in the weather lately — then I think that’s a factor. But Michigan-Notre Dame would be awesome.”
“Just on the seeding, I mean, I think it’s oftentimes you think NFL playoffs, well, you need to win this game because if you’re the Lions you’d rather host than go to Green Bay,” Broome added. “It’s always kind of teams in the same sort of pod, and there are a lot of indoor teams now. But getting that higher seed, getting a top-eight seed — you want a top-four seed, because you’re gonna get that bye right to the quarterfinals, you’re gonna be right there in the mix, you get that extra week of rest, which is critical that time of year. But you gotta get one of the top eight seeds in this tournament, or else you could be Tennessee and have to go play a game in Madison, Wisconsin.”
The post Podcast: Michigan players and position groups being slept on, projected 12-team CFP field, Erin Dunston hire appeared first on On3.