It’s been an odd week for Michigan football. The Wolverines were idle in Week 9, but public perception of the maize and blue has been affected by allegations of illegal sign-stealing. With the first College Football Playoff rankings debuting on Tuesday evening, how did the allegations influence the rankings committee?
Michigan hasn’t had the toughest schedule, but with several teams playing better than expected (UNLV, Rutgers, Minnesota, and Nebraska), the Wolverines maybe not have played any ranked teams, but have dominated several with winning records.
The rankings committee ended up ranking Michigan football at No. 3. Ohio State entered in at No. 1, and Penn State — which the Wolverines play next Saturday — is No. 11.
Full rankings:
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Ohio State | 8-0 |
| 2 | Georgia | 8-0 |
| 3 | Michigan | 8-0 |
| 4 | Florida State | 8-0 |
| 5 | Washington | 8-0 |
| 6 | Oregon | 7-1 |
| 7 | Texas | 7-1 |
| 8 | Alabama | 7-1 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 7-1 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 7-1 |
| 11 | Penn State | 7-1 |
| 12 | Missouri | 7-1 |
| 13 | Louisville | 7-1 |
| 14 | LSU | 6-2 |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 7-2 |
| 16 | Oregon State | 6-2 |
| 17 | Tennessee | 6-2 |
| 18 | Utah | 6-2 |
| 19 | UCLA | 6-2 |
| 20 | USC | 7-2 |
| 21 | Kansas | 6-2 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 6-2 |
| 23 | Kansas State | 6-2 |
| 24 | Tulane | 7-1 |
| 25 | Air Force | 8-0 |