The University of Michigan has clearly been a brilliant football team this season, rolling to a 12-0 mark as quarterback J.J. McCarthy and  the Wolverines prepare for the Big Ten Championship Game against Purdue. The Wolverines are 17-point favorites against the 8-4 Boilermakers, who emerged as the 1st place team in the Big Ten West Division.

The Wolverines are coming off an overwhelming 45-23 road triumph over the Ohio State Buckeyes, a victory that gave Michigan the Big Ten East Division and allowed them to move into the No. 2 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.

That's clearly an honorable position, but the Wolverines appear to have been shortchanged. They should be in the No. 1 spot ahead of the Georgia Bulldogs. Here are 3 reasons why:

3. Michigan won the most impressive game of the regular season

No team pulled off a better win in the 2022 regular season than the Wolverines earned with their victory over the Buckeyes. If the win had been in Ann Arbor, it would have been impressive enough. However, to go into Ohio Stadium against a heavily favored Ohio State team and to take Ryan Day's team down was a special achievement for Jim Harbaugh and his players.

The other factor that made that win so impressive was the margin of victory. This was not a last-minute field goal or a late touchdowns. The Wolverines took apart the previously second-ranked Buckeyes by using McCarthy's big-play passing attack that was a shock to the Buckeyes.

Once Michigan established the lead, the running game asserted itself with Donovan Edwards scoring on 75- and 85-yard runs in the 4th quarter.

While McCarthy and the offense asserted itself, the defense kept the high-powered Ohio State offense from launching their own big plays that would have changed the tenor of the game.

2. Georgia may be undefeated, but there were a couple of weak spots

The Bulldogs have been a dominant team all season, and there is little doubt they belong in one of the top two spots in the CFP Rankings.

However, there is something of a bias in favor of SEC teams. In most years, Alabama is not only a participant in the playoff, but often the top-ranked team. Georgia and LSU have also won national championships, so that gives a type off sheen to the SEC that other conferences don't have — including the Big Ten.

Georgia is a deep and talented team with a brilliant coach in Kirby Smart. However, Georgia struggled in wins over Missouri and Kentucky. Missouri had a 22-12 lead in the 4th quarter, and the Bulldogs didn't overcome that until two fourth-quarter touchdowns allowed Georgia to escape.

The win over Missouri came in early October. Their close call against Kentucky came in mid-November. The powerful Georgia offense was held without a touchdown in the first half and didn't get into the end zone until Kenny McIntosh scored on a 9-yard run.

Missouri finished the regular season with a 6-6 while Kentucky was 7-5. Narrow wins over those teams are not impressive for a No. 1 team in the CFP rankings.

1. Michigan, McCarthy  can roll with the punches

Blake Corum was the Wolverines' best player throughout the regular season. He dominated with 1,463 yards and 18 regular-season touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes from McCarthy after catching 24  in 2021.

Corum was injured in Michigan's next-to-last game against Illinois. He was able to carry the ball once in the second half of that game and once in the win over Ohio State.

However, Corum needs knee surgery and is done for the season. The Corum injury came at the worst possible time, but the Wolverines adjusted with J.J. McCarthy taking the responsibility on his shoulders and coming through with 263 passing yards, 3 TD tosses and one more touchdown on the ground.

At the same time Edwards ran for 216 yards and 9.8 yards per carry mark.

This is clearly a team that is on a mission, and one that deserves the top spot in the CFP rankings