Observation from the final AP poll

Not that polls matter all that much, but the playoff rankings usually mirror the AP relatively closely.

Michigan finishes the season at 10. This is infuriating to me. They lost 3 of their last 4 games. They never dropped more than 4 spots, which is their fall after the FSU loss. Some teams really do just get the benefit of the doubt from the media.

LSU, on the other hand, dropped 5+ spots after each loss (fairly certain, didn't look up the exact numbers).

Now what is unique about Michigan is, all the things you can say about them to justify not dropping- you can say about LSU.
1) All losses were close and they could've won each game. We lost 3 games on the last possession, with the ball in scoring position to win. The other loss was a close game to Bama who we held scoreless for 3.5 quarters.
2) Eye test/talent - Both teams were in the 5 most talented teams in the country

I guess you could say Michigan had a better schedule of wins? But, they played 4 games outside of Michigan, going 1-3 in those games with the lone win being Rutgers. So the argument can go both ways.

Just frustrating to me that some teams get the benefit of the doubt from the media, which does play a role in perceptions for the playoff committee. (Not saying LSU should've been in playoffs, but it's the principle of the logic that could someday hurt LSU)