3 Reasons to Bet Against Michigan Wolverines in the 2018 Playoffs

With only two games left before the College Football Playoffs, the Michigan Wolverines find themselves in an enviable position. The Wolverines control their own destiny. They can punch their ticket to college football’s big dance, or they can end up trying to explain to their fans why they again didn’t make it.

Michigan must beat Ohio State in the biggest rivalry game in college gridiron lore on Saturday, Nov. 24. Then, a victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship puts the Wolverines in the CFP. Although there are reasons to believe it should happen, Michigan’s not a lock to win the National Championship.

Let’s say Michigan does get the bid to College Football’s Final Four. What reasons do bettors have to play against the popular Wolverines?

3 Reasons to Bet Against Michigan Wolverines in the 2018 Playoffs

ICYMI: For the third straight week, the #CFBPlayoff top four teams are:1. @AlabamaFTBL2. @ClemsonFB3. @NDFootball4. @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/YU5c8PCBkF

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 21, 2018

1. Big Ten is Soft This Season

The first reason to shun the Wolverines to win the championship’s obvious: they play in an overrated, bad, conference. Before the season started, the Big Ten sure looked like one of the top conferences in the nation. Nope. Not even close, really.

Outside of Michigan, a case might be made for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes lost to perennial bad Big Ten team Purdue. What about Penn State? Yeah, Penn State’s 8-3 this season. Rival Michigan State is 6-5 while Big Ten West Division winner Northwestern is 7-4.

Beating up Big Ten opponents is different than fighting teams like Alabama and Clemson. If Michigan makes it to the CFP, the other participants could rock them.

2. Michigan’s Offense Can Stutter

Make no mistake, coach Jim Harbaugh sticking with the rush wile his Big Ten coaching peers decided to go with passing attacks has made a huge difference. But, against Alabama, Clemson, or even Notre Dame, Michigan won’t be able to rush the football with as much success as they have versus their fellow conference opponents.

Teams rush for only 113.5 against Alabama. Clemson holds the teams they play to only 92 yards on the ground while Notre Dame kept Michigan to 58 yards in Week 1. What will the Wolverines do on offense if they can’t run the football?

3. Coach Harbaugh’s Great, But…

Harbaugh’s a fantastic coach. But, he’s unproven. He hasn’t yet taken Michigan to the College Football Playoff, and there’s a chance he won’t this season because the Wolverines must win a couple of other games. When he did take a team to a championship, the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, he lost.

Harbaugh’s likely to face Bama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Sweeney, and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly. Kelly outcoached Harbaugh in Week 1 while Saban and Sweeney are the two best coaches in college football and both have won championships.

It’s going to be tough for Harbaugh to make the right moves versus coaching stalwarts like Kelly, Saban, and Sweeney. If Harbaugh doesn’t push every right button in the CFP Semifinal, Michigan won’t have a chance to win the National Championship.