Michigan Falls In AP Poll Following Bye Week
Coming off the bye week, the voters for the AP Poll Top 25 rankings dropped Michigan down just one spot from No. 19 to No. 20. There were some high octane matchups…
Coming off the bye week, the voters for the AP Poll Top 25 rankings dropped Michigan down just one spot from No. 19 to No. 20.
There were some high octane matchups around college football Saturday, and perhaps none bigger than the Big Ten clash between then-No. 3 Penn State and then-No.6 Oregon. Not only was it a top-10 clash, but it was also the Nittany Lions’ white-out, providing arguably the best atmosphere in college sports for the Saturday night bout.
The game delivered, with the Ducks toppling Penn State 30-24 in double-overtime. The massive win pushed Oregon up to No. 2 in the rankings, even stealing away some votes for the top spot. The Nittany Lions consequently dropped, but not too far, landing at No. 7.
Alongside Penn State, two more top-5 teams lost on Saturday. Ole Miss flopped spots with LSU following the Rebels’ big win, with the Tigers dropping nine spots to No. 13 and Ole Miss rising nine spots to No. 4.
Georgia fell from No. 5 to No. 12 after a loss to Alabama, and the Crimson Tide consequently cracked the top 10 at No. 10.
The top-5 losses allowed Oklahoma to take the No. 5 spot, making Michigan’s only loss look a little bit better.
Here are the complete AP Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 6…
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Miami (Fla.)
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Texas A&M
- Penn State
- Indiana
- Texas
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Georgia
- LSU
- Iowa State
- Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
- Georgia Tech
- Florida State
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- BYU
- Virginia
- Arizona State
Other teams receiving votes: South Florida, Utah, Mississippi St., Memphis, Louisville, Southern Cal, Maryland, North Texas, TCU, UNLV
What Can Michigan Do To Climb The Ranks?
Michigan’s next matchup comes at home against a struggling Wisconsin squad. Sitting at 2-2, the Badgers picked up back-to-back losses against Alabama and Maryland, losing by at least three scores in each matchup.
This year’s Wisconsin team lacks the identity that has defined Badger football in the past. Much like the Wolverines, good Wisconsin teams historically have won in the trenches and boast a potent ground game. Under head coach Luke Fickell, however, the identity has shifted away from the ground.
This season, Fickell has made more of an attempt to return to traditional Badger football, but it simply hasn’t been successful, as indicated by the 2-2 start.
Wisconsin’s biggest strength, however, goes head-to-head with Michigan’s biggest strength. Through four games, the Badgers only allow 50 rushing yards per game, posing a challenge for the Wolverines’ elite running game.
Still, Michigan opens as 16.5-point favorites on FanDuel as of the time of this writing, so the voters will probably want to see the Wolverines cover that spread in order to elicit any significant jump in the rankings.
Even if the game turns out to be a close one, any conference win is a good win, regardless of the opponent. As long as Michigan stays in the win column, the voters will have no reason to significantly drop the Wolverines in the rankings.
