College Football Rankings: Michigan Wolverines Don't Deserve Spot in Top 10

Oh, Michigan, how you taunt the pollsters so.

The Wolverines, currently ranked 12th in the AP Poll and 11th by the coaches, picked up their sixth win of the season in as many tries on Saturday, tearing apart Northwestern, 42-24.

That may be enough to vault Michigan into the Top 10, however undeserved such a move may be in reality.

Voters have always had a soft spot for the maize and blue, along with just about any traditional college football powerhouse that puts on a good face and a solid start to the season. Head coach Brady Hoke has done a fantastic job of turning this talented but troubled team around in such short order.

However, there is plenty of reason to wonder whether the Wolverines deserve to be considered among the nation's elite just yet.

First, as Woody Paige would suggest, let's look at the schedule. Michigan has yet to play a single ranked opponent, its best competition coming in Week 2 against a Notre Dame team fresh off a disappointing loss to South Florida.

A game the Wolverines probably should've lost, no less.

Also, Saturday's win in Evanston, Ill. marked the Wolverines' first foray away from the Big House this season and, as respectably as they performed on the road, let's keep in mind the Wildcats have a loss to 2-4 Army and a seven-point win over 1-5 Boston College on their resume.

As for the team itself, it's tough not to like what Denard Robinson brings to the table—until you realize he's a quarterback whose least effective asset is his arm. I enjoy watching Shoelace tear opposing defenses to shreds with his feet as much as the next guy, but one of these days, he'll throw two or three interceptions against a good team and won't be so lucky to will his team to victory anyway.

Then again, it's tough to argue with a guy who accounts for 454 yards of offense and four touchdowns all by his lonesome.

To return to the schedule for a moment, Michigan may very well finish out its first nine games without a loss, at which point it would be tough not to bump the team into college football's top tax bracket. Yet, there just doesn't seem to be room for the Wolverines unless some other team in the Top 10 runs into serious trouble. LSU and Alabama will play each other on Nov. 5, but neither team figures to tumble too far after that game.

Just about every other team ahead of Michigan, save for Texas (which will drop after Saturday's loss to Oklahoma), sports a favorable schedule for the next several weeks, though No. 8 Clemson could be in for some trouble if its dynamic quarterback, Tajh Boyd, has to sit out for any length of time.

So, for now, the Wolverines will simply have to bide their time and continue to win games while waiting for someone else's other shoe to drop. That said, if Michigan beats Illinois and Nebraska later on to clinch a spot in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, voters and pundits alike will have no other choice but to "Hail to the victors."