Strangely, Michigan's Jabrill Peppers agrees with CFP committee's final rankings
Head-to-head matchups are important.
So it’s understandable that, when the final College Football rankings were released on Sunday, Michigan fans were still a little irritated after Penn State leapfrogged the Wolverines for the No. 5 spot after claiming the B1G title in Indianapolis on Saturday. Earlier this season, the maize-and-blue handled the Nittany Lions with ease, winning 49-10.
Michigan’s do-it-all man Jabrill Peppers was not one of those who protested the committee’s decision.
On Sunday, B1G’s Defensive Player of the Year sent out a slew of tweets complementing Penn State on its B1G title and explaining why he understands the committee’s final rankings:
We take care of business, we're in. We don't, we're not..& we didn't. Can't knock the teams that did.
— JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) December 4, 2016
Even though we beat PSU handedly, We were their last lost, early in the season. They didn't lose again, beat OSU and Iowa & won the Ship.
— JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) December 4, 2016
I think the committee knows we are better, they just can't knock what they've turned their season into. It's a slippery slope.
— JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) December 4, 2016
Thus.. Us being #6 behind PSU makes sense.
— JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) December 4, 2016
Shoutout to the Guys at PSU! Y'all did y'all thing, hold it down in the Rose!
— JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) December 4, 2016
Michigan did have everything in front of them before the November matchup with Iowa and a win over either the Hawkeyes or Ohio State would’ve helped the Wolverines take the B1G East crown and likely earn a bid to the College Football Playoff.
It was an easy decision for the committee to rank Penn State ahead of Michigan in the final rankings despite the head-to-head, as Penn State was headed to the Rose Bowl with the B1G title, anyway.
The Wolverines (10-2) earned a pretty good bowl berth and will play Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Peppers finished his electric sophomore campaign with 71 tackles including 15 stops for a loss and an interception. He was also one of the conference’s most-feared punt returners, fielding 21 punts and picking up 310 yards and a TD on special teams.