ESPN ranks Michigan football No. 17 in final preseason rankings
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It's speculation season in college football, which is always somewhat prescient, but certainly not always accurate. For instance, offseason expectations last year were that Penn State and Clemson were among the top teams in the country, and yet, the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin midseason and the Tigers struggled mightily.
With that, could Michigan football be a bit underrated entering 2026? Overrated? Or just right?
Both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 have the Wolverines ranked at No. 16 overall, and both have Ohio State as the top team in the country. ESPN is weighing in with its final preseason power rankings, and the maize and blue come in ranked one spot lower, at No. 17, in the country.
2025 record: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten
Kyle Whittingham's first season at Michigan will be a success if the Wolverines can get more out of quarterback Bryce Underwood, who threw for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman. Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck have worked with Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2025 by ESPN, to clean up his footwork and mechanics. The Wolverines also want to use Underwood more in the running game; he ran for 392 yards with six scores last season. A good sign: Underwood was named one of the team's four captains this week.
Michigan has a famously difficult schedule this season, but if the defense and run game are strong, and Underwood does take a step forward, then perhaps the Wolverines could be underrated. But it will need to be a full-team effort, as the maize and blue play ESPN's No. 1 team, Ohio State, No. 4 Oregon, No. 8 Indiana, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 15 Penn State, and No. 24 Iowa this year.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN ranks Michigan football No. 17 in final preseason rankings
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