Michigan Rises Again In AP Poll After Win Over Michigan State
For the second week in a row, the Wolverines did enough to rise in the AP Poll Top 25 rankings. Here’s where the voters put them…
After a gritty 31-20 road win over in-state rival Michigan State, the AP Poll Top 25 voters moved Michigan up the rankings for the second week in a row. Moving up four spots from No. 25, the Wolverines landed at No. 21 in the Week 10 rankings.
It wasn’t the prettiest game Michigan has played all season, but it was a win nonetheless, and that’s what the voters seem to care about most. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood threw for just 86 yards and completed only eight of his 17 passing attempts, but the running game picked up the slack.
The Spartans didn’t have an answer for the running back duo of junior Justice Haynes and sophomore Jordan Marshall, who combined for 262 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Their performances were enough to overcome Michigan State and escape East Lansing with a win.
The top six teams remained steadfast, with no major upsets or movement, although No. 2 Indiana went from six first-place votes last week to 11 this week. The Hoosiers still aren’t close to overthrowing No. 1 Ohio State, but they are steadily gaining favor.
Michigan’s only two losses — Oklahoma and USC — are both ranked in this week’s poll, with the Sooners dropping to No. 18, and the Trojans breaking back in at No. 23.
Here are the complete AP Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 10:
1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Ole Miss
8. Georgia Tech
9. Vanderbilt
10. Miami (Fla.)
10. BYU
12. Notre Dame
13. Texas Tech
14. Tennessee
15. Virginia
16. Louisville
17. Cincinnati
18. Oklahoma
19. Missouri
20. Texas
21. Michigan
22. Houston
23. USC
24. Utah
25. Memphis
Other teams receiving votes: Navy, Tulane, Washington, Iowa, South Florida, San Diego St., LSU, James Madison, North Texas, Illinois, Pittsburgh.
How Can Michigan Continue To Climb?
In conference play, the main, and only, goal is to come away with a win. A big, impressive win is a bonus, but as long as the loss column remains untouched, it’s a mission accomplished.
This is true even when the opponent is yet to win a Big Ten game. For the second week in row, the Wolverines are slated to take on a team seeking its first conference win of the year, and this week, it’s Purdue.
Like Saturday’s game against the Spartans, the Boilermakers coming into town presents a high-risk, low-reward scenario for Michigan. Beating up on a lesser team isn’t super impressive, but losing to one is devastating. Thus, the main goal is simply to avoid the latter outcome.
Purdue’s offense is much-improved this season, but its defense is still one of the worst in the conference, allowing 427.2 yards per game so far against Big Ten opponents. The one thing that the Boilermakers defense has going for it, however, is that its main weakness is its pass defense, and Michigan hasn’t been an elite passing team.
The Wolverines are a 21.5-point favorite as of this writing, according to FanDuel, with many expecting a blowout in Michigan Stadium come Saturday.
You can hear the call of the game when Michigan takes on Purdue on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., on 94.7 WCSX. Here’s the full Michigan football schedule.
