10 teams who could make their first College Football Playoff in 2019
By Nick Villano
4. Michigan
Michigan may be the most likely team on this entire list. They came so close last year before completely blowing it at the end of the year against Ohio State. Their top-ranked defense allowed 62 points against their most-hated rival. When the lights shined brightest, the Wolverines just didn’t show up.
Analysts are already predicting Michigan as one of the four teams left at the end of the season. Shea Patterson is returning to play quarterback, and as long as Jim Harbaugh is leading the pack this defense will be one of the better units in football.
Michigan’s schedule finally works out in their favor to make the jump to the Playoff. They have Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan State and, most importantly, Ohio State playing in The Big House. Those games being at home is crucial to their season finally going well. They will have to do it this year because it could be a decade before the schedule works out this perfectly.
With Urban Meyer heading to other pastures, the Buckeyes might be in a transition year. Michigan is head and shoulders the team to beat in the Big 10. Patterson is going to throw all over this conference, and with a stingy defense behind him, the only thing that could stop the Wolverines are the Wolverines.
They have a great recruiting class coming in, all the hype in the world and the right talent-to-luck ratio to finally make this work.