Media Roundup: What National Football Analysts Are Saying About Michigan Football After Beating Bowling Green
It wasn't pretty, but Michigan rallied in the second half to knock off Bowling Green on Saturday night, 31-6. The Wolverines ended non-conference play 3-0 and all eyes now shift to Big Ten play and Rutgers.
National publications have been releasing their analysis, rankings, and reactions to what occurred in Week 3 of college football. So what's being said about Michigan?
See below.
Michigan stayed pat at No. 2 in ESPN's power rankings. Here what the Wordwide Leader In Sports had to say about the Wolverines.
The team's third and final game without coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline was messier than the others. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who had not thrown an interception in the first two contests and had just three outside of last season's CFP loss to TCU, was picked off three times by Bowling Green. McCarthy finished with only 143 passing yards. Michigan committed four turnovers and converted only 1 of 5 third-down chances. The Wolverines will need to be sharper against an improved Rutgers team next week. Their defense remained stellar, holding Bowling Green to 205 yards and collecting a season-best three takeaways, three sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins had an interception and a tackle for loss, and cornerback Mike Sainristil had a sack and two tackles for loss as Michigan did not allow a touchdown. -- Adam Rittenberg
ESPN's Bill Connelly ranks all 39 unbeaten teams -- Michigan takes a fall:
Michigan is ranked second in real life, but according to Bill Connelly of ESPN -- who is the analytics guy at ESPN -- dropped Michigan to No. 7. He has Washington and Ohio State at No. 1 and No 2.
7. Michigan (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 3rd and 14th
SP+ strength of schedule to date: 126th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 12.9%
What they did in Week 3: def. Bowling Green 31-6
Why they're ranked here: When you know you're not going to be challenged (and you're without your suspended head coach), there's no reason to shift out of about second gear. I get it. I also know that, through three weeks, only Baylor, Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Tennessee have underachieved against SP+ projections more than Michigan has. When it's time to shift into gear and actually start playing -- perhaps this week when unbeaten Rutgers visits? -- are the Wolverines going to be able to do it without a hitch? If so, they'll jump up this list in a hurry.
CBS Sports' Weekly Report Card:
CBS Sports releases a weekly report card on all the top 25 teams. Barrett Sallee gave Michigan a B- after beating Bowling Green.
The 31-6 win over Bowling Green looks pretty solid on paper, but the No. 2 Wolverines were only up 14-6 at the break and needed a second half surge to make the scoreboard look more respectable. Their 312 total yards didn't help matters either.
Sports Illustrated Ranks Michigan No. 6 (this week):
Blame first-half turnovers for the reason the Wolverines didn’t drop the hammer down on Bowling Green until late in their 31–6 win. The Jim Harbaugh suspension comes to an end without incident on the field as the Wolverines managed to get past three overmatched opponents in his absence.
