Where Michigan football lands in latest ESPN rankings
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Expectations are high for Kyle Whittingham and Michigan football in 2026, but not high enough where the Wolverines are considered national title contenders. However, with the amount of top talent in Ann Arbor, there’s certainly a chance — if the maize and blue get some upsets in the tough 2026 slate — that this season could more so mirror 2021 than 2025.
ESPN updated its power rankings on Tuesday, and with that, the Wolverines remain among the top 25, still in the middle of the pack of the teams expected to do something this year. Just as they were in the last ranking, they remain at No. 14 overall.
2025 record: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 14
Key players lost: DE Derrick Moore, DT Rayshaun Benny, LB Jimmy Rolder, LB Ernest Hausmann, LB Cole Sullivan, LB Jaishawn Barham, S TJ Metcalf, S Brandyn Hillman
Key additions: DE John Henry Daley (Utah), CB Smith Snowden (Utah), DL Jonah Lea’ea (Utah), TE JJ Buchanan (Utah), S Chris Bracy (Memphis), LB Max Alford (BYU), RB Taylor Tatum (Oklahoma), WR Salesi Moa (Utah), WR Jaime Ffrench Jr. (Texas)
2026 outlook: After a season to forget, both on and off the field, the Wolverines must be looking forward to the start of the Kyle Whittingham era. Michigan has playmakers in place on offense, led by quarterback Bryce Underwood, tailback Jordan Marshall and receiver Andrew Marsh. There are a handful of players coming back with starting experience on the offensive line, including left tackle Evan Link. There are more personnel losses on defense, but the Salt Lake City pipeline should help Michigan fill its holes. Daley, who had 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 2025, is coming back from a lower leg injury.
Michigan managed to go 9-4 last season despite having some fundamental issues both on and off the field. Though the teams on the schedule are tougher, there are more home games than there were a year ago, and the youth that was a big part of last year’s team are now another year older.
The Wolverines are behind 2026 opponents such as No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 Indiana, and No. 13 Oklahoma. They also face No. 15 Penn State and No. 19 Iowa.
Given that Whittingham likes to play a similar style of football that this current roster was comprised to play, it wouldn’t surprise if the maize and blue ended up being a bit better than advertised. Even still, much of the team’s success will hinge on Bryce Underwood taking a step forward, and though the spring game didn’t prove much in the way of progress, Whittingham remains optimistic about his trajectory.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football ranked 14th in ESPN power poll
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