Michigan football will be one of the top teams in college football, but in many ways, it doesn’t feel like it.
The defending national champions aren’t getting nearly as much hype as several other teams like Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas — all three of which Michigan plays this season. And compared to other past national champions in recent memory, the hype train isn’t blindly backing the blue.
ESPN revealed its latest power rankings with just days before Week 0 and Michigan football came in ranked one spot higher than it did in the spring, but still somewhat outside of the championship picture.
9. Michigan Wolverines
The defending champs don’t go through as hard of a reset as the team they beat for the title (Washington), but there will be new faces on the field and the sideline. Still, Michigan has arguably the best players at three different positions in cornerback Will Johnson, defensive tackle Mason Graham and tight end Colston Loveland. Johnson, Graham, Kenneth Grant and others lead a defense that should remain elite under veteran coordinator Wink Martindale. Michigan will need to figure out its quarterback situation, where both Jack Tuttle and Alex Orji are likely to play early on. The Wolverines return running back Donovan Edwards, Loveland and a receiving corps that is generating some internal optimism. First-time coach Sherrone Moore doesn’t face overwhelming pressure right away, and Michigan’s toughest games are at home — Texas (Sept. 7), Oregon (Nov. 2) and USC (Sept. 21) — before finishing the regular season at Ohio State (Nov. 30).
As noted, Michigan has a lot more talent than people may realize and that should count for a lot — assuming the Wolverines find a solid quarterback. The schedule is daunting, but so was the tail-end of last year, and Michigan still managed to escape undefeated.
Only time will tell if history will repeat itself — and that could be like the Wolverines last year or LSU following the 2019 season.