The Paul Bunyan Trophy remains in Ann Arbor for at least another year.
It may not have been the prettiest of contests, but the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) went to East Lansing and took care of the Michigan State Spartans (0-5, 3-5 Big Ten) Saturday night, 31-20.
Michigan saw little change on ESPN’s FPI following the win, getting bumped up one spot to No. 15 in the nation. However, that is more the result of the Oklahoma Sooners’ loss to Ole Miss than Michigan beating an unranked,
conference-winless opponent.
Sure, it was a road game, this rivalry is always fierce and Michigan State hung tough for a half, but the Wolverines were always supposed to win this one.
The FPI is still not in love with Michigan, as it has a projected win-loss record of 8.8-3.3, a 7.4 percent chance of winning out, a two percent chance of winning the Big Ten and 14.3 percent chance of reaching the College Football Playoff.
The problem for the Wolverines is not their remaining schedule, which, aside from The Game, looks very favorable. Instead, the issue is a deep, talented Big Ten Conference that will likely squeeze Michigan’s chances of reaching the conference championship even if it does run the table.
The top three teams in the FPI (Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon) look like CFP locks, and that crucial loss at the USC Trojans (10th in the FPI) could limit this team’s ceiling.
