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After a 2-4 season in 2020 and lots of questions about what the 2021 Michigan football team will be, it was obvious that the Wolverines wouldn’t be included in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. The maize and blue will have to earn a ranking — which it certainly could do early in the season with a win over Washington — but what about the teams they’ll face this college football season? Where do they rank?
Michigan did receive 30 votes, which would essentially put the Wolverines at No. 33 overall. And while some other teams in 2020 didn’t fare well — just like the maize and blue — they got more benefit of the doubt.
Of Michigan’s 2021 opponents, the following are ranked in the preseason poll: No. 4 Ohio State, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 17 Indiana, No. 20 Penn State and No. 21 Washington.
A win over the Huskies in Week 2 wouldn’t necessarily be enough to get the maize and blue into the good graces of the coaches, but with Wisconsin in Week 5, it could at least set up a potential ranked-on-ranked matchup — although that also depends on what happens in the Badgers’ season opener against Penn State.
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Full rankings:
| Rank | Team | Rec. | Pts. | 1st | Pvs | Chg | Hi/Lo |
| 1 | Alabama | 0-0 | 1621 | 63 | NR | — | 1/1 |
| 2 | Clemson | 0-0 | 1508 | 0 | NR | — | 2/2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 1481 | 2 | NR | — | 3/3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 1435 | 0 | NR | — | 4/4 |
| 5 | Georgia | 0-0 | 1386 | 0 | NR | — | 5/5 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 1286 | 0 | NR | — | 6/6 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 1139 | 0 | NR | — | 7/7 |
| 8 | Iowa State | 0-0 | 1131 | 0 | NR | — | 8/8 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 999 | 0 | NR | — | 9/9 |
| 10 | Cincinnati | 0-0 | 979 | 0 | NR | — | 10/10 |
| 11 | Florida | 0-0 | 870 | 0 | NR | — | 11/11 |
| 12 | Oregon | 0-0 | 842 | 0 | NR | — | 12/12 |
| 13 | Louisiana State | 0-0 | 664 | 0 | NR | — | 13/13 |
| 14 | Southern California | 0-0 | 655 | 0 | NR | — | 14/14 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 654 | 0 | NR | — | 15/15 |
| 16 | Miami | 0-0 | 575 | 0 | NR | — | 16/16 |
| 17 | Indiana | 0-0 | 573 | 0 | NR | — | 17/17 |
| 18 | Iowa | 0-0 | 554 | 0 | NR | — | 18/18 |
| 19 | Texas | 0-0 | 427 | 0 | NR | — | 19/19 |
| 20 | Penn State | 0-0 | 422 | 0 | NR | — | 20/20 |
| 21 | Washington | 0-0 | 404 | 0 | NR | — | 21/21 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 216 | 0 | NR | — | 22/22 |
| 23 | UL Lafayette | 0-0 | 153 | 0 | NR | — | 23/23 |
| 24 | Coastal Carolina | 0-0 | 150 | 0 | NR | — | 24/24 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 0-0 | 149 | 0 | NR | — | 25/25 |