Michigan Included In First CFP Rankings Reveal

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff committee — a group composed of 13 college football names ranging from athletic directors to former players and journalists — released its first batch of rankings for the 2025 season.

These rankings are determined by the same committee that will decide the 12 teams that ultimately compete in the College Football Playoff, so these weekly polls give each team a glimpse of where they stand in the eyes of the 13 people that actually matter at the end of the day.

In the first of six top-25 reveals the committee will release, Michigan comes in at No. 21. While outside the top 12, it's still within striking distance.

It comes as little surprise to anyone that Ohio State occupies the No. 1 spot. The Buckeyes have had a stronghold over the top spot in the AP Poll since Week 2 for good reason: They look like the best team in the country.

The Big Ten sports three programs within the projected field — Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon — and the Wolverines join USC, Iowa and Washington as the other three teams in the conference to be ranked by the committee. 

The Hawkeyes are one of the biggest surprises in the rankings, coming in at No. 20. They haven’t been given much love in the AP Poll, but the committee saw something they liked, and ranked them accordingly.

Here are the complete CFP rankings from the first reveal:

The Wolverines’ two losses, while both at the hands of very good teams on the road, hold them back from debuting any higher in the rankings. Had they walked away with either one of those wins, they would probably be on the inside looking out. Still, they’re not in a bad spot, considering they have three more chances to boost their resume.

Michigan’s case is significantly aided by its lack of and ‘bad losses’ on its sheet. Like mentioned before, road losses to ranked teams aren’t going to turn the committee away from a team, but the Wolverines don’t have much, if any, room for error.

After a bye week this weekend, Michigan will take on Northwestern and Maryland before The Game against Ohio State. It’s easy to become solely focused on the ever-important game against the Buckeyes, but if the Wolverines lose to the Wildcats or the Terrapins, even a win over the Buckeyes might not be able to salvage their playoff chances.

This is Michigan’s first time in the thick of the playoff race since the new format was introduced last season. The Wolverines were nowhere near the conversation after struggling in their first year under head coach Sherrone Moore, but this year, they’ve put themselves in a position to fight for a spot.