The Detroit Lions have clinched a playoff spot, but there’s still a lot to be sorted out in their playoff picture. Also, Detroit is preparing to face one of the toughest opponents on their schedule.
In college football, Michigan is getting ready for a bowl game rematch, but with lower stakes.
For more on that and other sports news, Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou.
Football this weekend:
Slippery Rock at Ferris State - NCAA Division II National Semifinals - Sat., 3:30 p.m.
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan - Salute to Veterans Bowl - Montgomery, Ala. - Sat., 9:00 p.m.
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions - Sun., 4:25 p.m.
Doug Tribou: The Lions are 12-1 and they’ve got four regular season games left. On Sunday, the Lions will face the Bills, who have 10 wins. What are the keys for the Lions against Buffalo and for the rest of the regular season?
John U. Bacon: Well, they're in a great spot, but they're in a weird spot, in terms of how seriously you want to play these games. They've got some injured players on defense. It's a question of rest for the playoffs versus trying to win important games. This is an important game because it's basically a practice playoff game. They might be seeing the Bills in the Super Bowl. The key is do you want to win or not? I think they're going to play to win.
DT: The 12-team College Football Playoff is set. John, Morning Edition is only four hours long, so we don’t have enough time to explain all the details of how it will work, but here are some highlights:
The conference champions from the so-called Power Five conferences automatically got a playoff spot. And the four highest ranked of those conference champs automatically got a bye to the second round – even if they are ranked lower than other teams in the playoff.
The opening round will be Dec. 20-21. Then the quarterfinals will be on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar bowls. The semifinals will be in the Orange and Cotton bowls on Jan. 9-10. And finally, the national championship game will be on Jan. 20.
Now that it’s actually happening, what’s your view on the expansion and the changes to the bowl schedule?
JUB: Well, that paragraph kind of lays out expansion pretty well. Look, if you're a casual listener or a casual sports fan, what you just heard is basically an NFL schedule. [Teams in the title game] are going to play [up to] 17 games. That is the NFL regular season right there, which is crazy for what used to be amateur athletes.
The flip side is it's very popular. They did it for money. They did it for greed. And don't forget, Doug, greed is undefeated in our lifetime.
Counting playoff games, bowl games, and the national title game, there will be 47 postseason games in college football’s top tier this season.
DT: [Laughs] Four Big Ten teams are in the playoff: Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana. Counting all the playoff games and all the bowl games and the national title game, there will be a mere 47 postseason games in college football’s top tier. Could we just get it to 50 for a nice even number?
JUB: [Laughs] If somebody heard you, it'll happen tomorrow, I think.
47 postseason games. Look, when I was a kid in the '70s, there were 11.
DT: The Wolverines will face Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Fla. This a rematch of last season’s Rose Bowl game, but the real subplot here is that Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the latest College Football Playoff ranking, but the selection committee didn’t put the Crimson Tide into the playoff. How big would the playoff have to be to avoid these kinds of debates?
JUB: Well, let's look for a moment at [men's] March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament. It used to be 32 teams 50 years ago. Then it was 64 teams, which okay, makes mathematical sense. Then they go to 68 teams. Put your calculator away. And you know who's complaining, Doug? The 69th team. [Laughs]
DT: [Laughs] How do you like Michigan’s chances against Alabama?
JUB: About as well as I liked Michigan's chances against Ohio State and look what happened there. Except that, in that game all the best players played — well, almost all of them, Michigan had a few injuries. Now what happens if you're not in a playoff bowl game, just a regular bowl game? The big stars often skip it basically because they're going to go to the NFL. And why get injured during a meaningless bowl game when it can cost you millions of dollars? So the question is, which Alabama team is going to show up?
DT: Before we close, there are a couple of other college teams from Michigan that have some football left. The Western Michigan University Broncos will face the South Alabama Jaguars in the Salute to Veterans Bowl on Saturday night in Montgomery, Ala. And in Division II, a team from the Mitten is vying for a national championship…
JUB: The Ferris State Bulldogs will face Slippery Rock in Big Rapids on Saturday afternoon the D-II national semifinal game. And the winner will go to the title game next weekend in Texas. The Bulldogs six times [this season] have scored 50 or more. They have scored over 70. They scored over 80. These are basketball scores, I swear to God.
So if you like offense, tune in on Saturday and watch the Bulldogs. Go Bulldogs.
Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
