Sep 13, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Former Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer on the sideline during the first half of a game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Urban Meyer dismisses Michigan football's playoff hopes

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Seth Berry | Last updated Nov 8, 2025 12:00 PM ET

This past Tuesday, the College Football Playoff committee released its first rankings of top 25 teams. Each week, the committee will update that top 25 before the final rankings are revealed on Dec. 7 to decide which 12 teams are selected to participate in this year's College Football Playoff.

Michigan checked in at No. 21 in the rankings as the Wolverines sit at 7-2 and are on their second bye week. Although it's not the best position for Sherrone Moore's team to be in, it's also not the worst spot as Michigan could win its last three games and have a strong case to be selected to make the playoff.

However, when appearing on The Triple Option podcast this week, former Ohio State coach and now Fox analyst Urban Meyer was quite dismissive of the Wolverines' chances, going as far as to call Michigan a "non-factor" in the CFP race as things stand.

"SEC has now surpassed the Big Ten again,” Meyer said. “I went with the Big Ten the last two years. As of right now, I know there’s a lot of ball left, but I’m staring at this. The SEC is better than the Big Ten and here’s why. The Wolverines, Penn State and USC are a non-factor right now."

"Whenever you have the Wolverines, Penn State, USC kind of messing around at, what is it? 21, 19 and one not ranked, that's why the SEC is better," Meyer continued.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meyer is obviously correct about Penn State being irrelevant as it comes to the CFP picture, as the Nittany Lions sit at 3-5 with an interim head coach and will struggle to make a bowl game, let alone the playoff.

However, in the case of Michigan and USC, both have clear opportunities in front of them that could allow each to propel into the top 12 in the rankings down the stretch.

For Lincoln Riley's Trojans, they have at trip to Eugene on the schedule to play a top 10 Oregon team on Nov. 22, which is sandwiched between games against Iowa and UCLA. If USC were to win its final three, it would have a strong case to be considered for the playoff, especially if they could secure a win at Oregon.

For Michigan, Moore's team will be favored at Northwestern and Maryland over the next couple of weeks. If the Wolverines can get through that and beat Ohio State at home in late November—a matchup Michigan has won four years in a row, it would seem very difficult for the committee to keep them out of the playoff.

Considering the Wolverines have won The Game four straight years, Meyer might be wise to let the results play out over the last few weeks before he starts determining which teams are factors and non-factors in the CFP hunt.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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