Michigan Football Preseason Ranking Prediction
Michigan football has been receiving a lot of praise from those way-too-early preseason rankings. Where might the Wolverines really end up?
One of the many ways college football fans pass time in the offseason is drooling over those way-too-early preseason rankings that are released sporadically, and this season those lists are being very kind to Michigan football.
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ESPN’s rankings list (May 10) has the Wolverines resting at No. 3, behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson. Florida State and Oklahoma round out the top five at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
FOX Sports’ rankings (May 9) aren’t as friendly to Michigan, but it’s still impressive. The Wolverines are ranked No. 5, behind (from No. 1 to No. 4) Alabama, Florida State, Clemson and LSU.
Sports Illustrated’s post-spring power rankings shows Michigan at No. 7. The Wolverines are behind No. 6 LSU, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson, No. 3 Florida State, No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Oklahoma.
What is it that has people so high on Michigan heading into the next season?
The biggest factor is probably a defense that has a lot of people feeling like they can trust the Wolverines to limit just about any offense. That was true for the most part last season (except against Indiana and Ohio State), and the meat of the unit is back.
Another contributing factor is the rising positive perception of Michigan’s ground-and-pound offense. The Wolverines showed last season that they’re capable of successfully running with that playbook, and De’Veon Smith is back in the backfield.
There are, of course, specifics tucked within those generalities, but that’s a wide look at what has Michigan up so high in these rankings.
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There isn’t a published timetable of when the official preseason polls (like the Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll) will be released. Last season the Coaches’ Poll was released on July 31, and the AP Poll followed on Aug. 17. That means we still have probably 2 1/2 months before our speculation is solidified—or shot down.
I’m not a polls master, so I won’t pretend to be one. I think we waste a lot of time sifting through these too-early power rankings, considering predicting the top 25 teams in the country right now isn’t actually that difficult. Everyone has a pretty good idea of where teams stand—or what the general consensus is on a team, at least—so every guess is informed in practically the same way.
I’ll move on.
When you compare Michigan to what the rest of the country has to offer, it certainly does look like a top 10 team. I wouldn’t consider this to be a particularly strong field, but it also isn’t a weak one. Michigan is going to be a good team.
ESPN’s enormous nod to the Wolverines (No. 3) seems a little excessive, but I think that’s right on the edge of where you could realistically place Michigan right now. FOX Sports ranking Michigan at No. 5 looks better, and I think Sports Illustrated pretty much hits it perfectly with No. 7. (As a side note, I’m not commenting on those rankings in general, just where Michigan is placed.)
Talking about where Michigan could end up at the end of the season is a completely different task. The Wolverines have a favorable schedule for the most part (with a pocket of exceptions); I don’t see very many top-tier challenges. That said, a weaker schedule could hurt Michigan in a situation in which it has one or two losses, making it tougher to justify a higher ranking.
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Speaking specifically on where Michigan will be ranked when the preseason polls are unveiled, I’ll go with No. 7, right in line with SI.