College Football Playoff: Which Teams Are Staying or Going?

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is one team that could really go either way. They're number three in the current rankings, but our metrics declare the Wolverines as the best overall team in the country. Their nERD of 41.04 is more than five points better than the next-closest team.

Jim Harbaugh's boys could definitely be ranked higher, but they have to at least hold the fort at number three down the stretch. It isn't the easiest of paths either.

With games at Iowa, home to Indiana, and at the Horseshoe against their rival Buckeyes, the Wolverines have two adequate matchups and one challenging contest ahead of them. The Hawkeyes and Hoosiers are both above average teams but aren't likely to pull an upset in the next two weeks.

It should all come down to November 26th, when Michigan takes on Ohio State in Columbus. As I said, it could go one of two ways for the Wolverines.

With a loss, there's a higher possibility that Michigan could fall out of the top four. On the other hand, with a win (especially a big one) the maize and blue could jump up to second or even first in the rankings. After all, the Buckeyes' ranking is five, but numberFire's algorithms tells us that they're even three spots better than that.