Heather Dinich Names College Football Powerhouse That Fails to 'Look the Part'

Defending national champion Michigan suffered a big loss at home against the Texas Longhorns last weekend. The Wolverines were dominated from the start and lost, 31-12.

This caused the Wolverines to drop from No. 10 to No. 17 in the rankings, casting doubt on their chances of a repeat.

ESPN's Heather Dinich was a guest on "The Paul Finebaum Show," where she discussed the Wolverines' chances of making the College Football Playoff. She mentioned that in the history of the rankings, no team with four losses has finished in the top 12. She believes that Michigan might end up with, not just four, but five losses this season.

Dinich also said that Michigan not only needs to improve, but also needs to look the part. She believes that currently, the Wolverines don't resemble a playoff team.

"They don't look the part of a College Football Playoff contender," Dinich said. "They got beat up front soundly on both sides of the ball. They couldn't convert on 3rd down. They couldn't get a stop on 3rd down. They couldn't run the ball. They lost the turnover battle. The list goes on."

Dinich thinks the Wolverines have some correctable issues, but with only two weeks until Michigan faces No. 11 USC, she believes there may not be enough time to fix everything. Michigan needs to win that game, especially at home, to make it back to the playoffs.

Before facing USC, Michigan will take on Arkansas State on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at noon ET on the Big Ten Network.

Related: Paul Finebaum Names College Football Powerhouse With 'Zero' Shot at Winning it All