BCS Rankings 2011: 4 Reasons Michigan Doesn't Deserve to Be Ranked

The initial 2011 BCS rankings have arrived, and there's plenty to debate about. One team that took a major blow right before the release of the important BCS rankings were the Michigan Wolverines. To be honest, they don't deserved to be ranked No. 18 in the BCS standings right now.

The Wolverines were ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll before they were defeated by the Michigan State Spartans this past Saturday, 28-14. The Maize and Blue dropped to No. 18 this week after their fourth consecutive loss to Michigan State.

What hurt the Wolverines the most was that they were on the cusp of a BCS game—now they may never recover. It's the third season in a row where the Wolverines went into the game versus the Spartans undefeated only to lose. In those previous years,  Michigan's season fell apart after the MSU game and this season will be no different.

Brady Hoke or not, Michigan's season is all downhill from here.

No. 4: Michigan Has Only Beaten 1 Quality Opponent Thus Far

The Michigan Wolverines have only beaten noteworthy Notre Dame so far this season.

The Wolverines relied on comeback wins in against Notre Dame and the Northwestern Wildcats. While the Northwestern win came on the road, Michigan was down 24-14 at one point. There most impressive win came against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 58-0, but the Gophers are hardly a Big Ten quality football program this year.

Another thing that hurts the Wolverines is margin of victory, which comes into play with the BCS standings. While they beat the Gophers 58-0, their Week 1 game against the Western Michigan Broncos was cut short in the third quarter because of inclement weather.

That extra quarter could have led to an extra couple of touchdowns for the Wolverines, which would have boosted their BCS ratings a bit.

The Wolverines and their fans shouldn't feel jilted by the BCS rankings—they have to win out to win respect.

No. 3: The Wolverines Lack a Throwing Arm

While Denard Robinson is a great all-around athlete, he isn't a great throwing quarterback. Robinson has completed only 53.9 percent of his passes this year and has thrown 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. 

The Michigan coaching staff appeared to be aware of Robinson's troubles passing the ball against Michigan State. They threw backup quarterback Devin Gardiner into the mix but he completed just 3-of-7 attempts for just 45 yards.

What makes matters worse is that Gardiner missed a wide open man twice. This tells fans that he's not ready to be an elite Big Ten quarterback yet.

The Michigan Wolverines' offense are too one dimensional behind the legs of Denard Robinson.

No. 2: The Michigan Wolverines Last 5 Games Are Tough

The truth of the matter is that Michigan has yet to get to the meat of their 2011 schedule.

While it's true that Michigan battled with Michigan State, they now head into a bye week. This will only hurt their BCS ranking because the teams they've played have a good chance of adding another loss to their resume.

Michigan faces Purdue at home before hitting the road for games against Iowa and Illinois. Their final two games are at home against Big Ten newcomer Nebraska and hated Ohio State. Being realistic, Michigan could lose their final four games of the season.

In order to avoid another epic fallout after a Michigan State loss, Michigan has to become balanced on offense.

No. 1: The Wolverines Are Primarily Denard Robinson and Everybody Knows It

Michigan's best player may be their biggest problem. Denard Robinson is a phenomenon on a football field and a joy to watch. The only problem is he's all that Michigan has.

Robinson has accounted for 2,015 of 2,995 Wolverine yards this year, that's 67.3 percent of the total offense. What has happened to Michigan in the past appears to be happening again. As the season wears on, Robinson takes a beating and can't be the ultimate threat he is early in the season.

Robinson left the game against Michigan State with an unspecified injury, and it appears that the punishment of being hit 20-plus times a game is taking its toll on the quarterback.

While the bye week will help heal Robinson, Michigan fans should be afraid of being without Robinson. Without him, the team will have a giant question mark hanging over their helmets.