Michigan football's Big Ten ranking revealed after spring ball

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The hope in Ann Arbor is that Kyle Whittingham will be able to take a talented roster and improve it dramatically, and though that appears to be the nationwide thought, there's little optimism from a national perspective that the Wolverines will actually perform better in the aggregate once 2026 is all said and done.

Now that spring ball is over for all 18 Big Ten teams, CBS Sports' Cody Nagel came out with his latest Big Ten power rankings, and Michigan football is in a familiar spot: ahead of many of the mid-tier teams but behind all of those perceived to be top-tier. Nagel has the maize and blue ranked fifth.

5. Michigan

The upgrade in coaching is obvious. The Wolverines made a major shift, bringing in longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to stabilize the program following Sherrone Moore's abrupt departure in December. 

Whittingham is third on the active wins list, but he's also never been anywhere else as a head coach. The defense should remain a strength with edge rusher John Henry Daley and cornerback Smith Snowden following him from Utah. 

But what ultimately unlocks Michigan's CFP hopes is quarterback Bryce Underwood, who went just 3-for-9 for 22 yards with two sacks in the spring game. Hard to know whether or not to overreact to that.

Perhaps if Underwood had a better spring game performance, Michigan wouldn't be behind No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Indiana, and No. 4 USC. The schedule is daunting, but if the Wolverines depart Week 2 with a win over Oklahoma, certainly those games against Indiana midseason, and at Oregon and Ohio State near the end, would tell the world quite a bit about the potential of these Wolverines.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football Big Ten power rankings revealed

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