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Where Michigan stands in USA TODAY pre-spring practice Big Ten power rankings

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•about 10 hours•

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Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore led his team to a 13-10 win over Ohio State Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore led his team to a 13-10 win over Ohio State Nov. 30, 2024. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

Michigan Wolverines football is entering a pivotal second season under head coach Sherrone Moore, who led the team to an 8-5 campaign in 2024. The Maize and Blue finished tied seventh of 18 teams in the Big Ten standings and have much bigger goals in 2025.

USA TODAY national writer Paul Myerberg released his pre-spring practice Big Ten power rankings, and placed Michigan fourth. The Wolverines are behind only No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon.

“A seemingly lost season was salvaged with wins against Ohio State and Alabama,” Myerberg wrote of 2024. “Now hopes are high that Michigan is set to reclaim a place in the playoff debate.

It stands to reason that Michigan will have a great chance of making the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in the last five seasons if it winds up being the fourth-best team in the Big Ten. Last season, the first of the 12-team playoff model, the conference sent four teams to the CFP, and the fourth-place squad — two-loss Ohio State — won the final.

Schedules are the wildcard, of course. Michigan’s isn’t as challenging as last season, but it does have a big non-conference tilt at Oklahoma, which also went through a disappointing season in 2024, finishing 6-7 with an Armed Forces Bowl loss.

The Wolverines have six road contests in 2025, more than the four they played last fall. They have notable Big Ten road tilts at Nebraska, USC and Michigan State, and will host Wisconsin, Washington, Ohio State and others. Still, U-M avoids playing the No. 1 and No. 3 teams on Myerberg’s rankings — Penn State and Oregon.

Illinois checked in as the No. 5 team in Myerberg’s power rankings, and he said head coach Bret Bielema‘s team has “a relatively easy schedule by Big Ten standards,” which along with returning a lot of production ensures they “will play a role in determining the playoff.”

All eyes are on the Michigan offense this season. The Wolverines finished 113rd nationally in scoring (22 points per game) and 129th in total offense (286.2 yards per game). The Maize and Blue lacked a dynamic passing attack, checking in as the only team in the nation to not complete a pass of 40-plus yards.

“The deciding factor: Will the offense take a big step forward under new coordinator Chip Lindsey?” Myerberg wrote. “And will transfer quarterback Mikey Keene fend off five-star transfer Bryce Underwood?”

Moore and Co. are building for the future while attacking the present. He feels confident about the outlook of the program heading into spring practices, which will begin March 18 and wrap up with an April 19 intrasquad scrimmage at The Big House.

“From a facilities standpoint, we got as good as any in the country,” Moore said on the ‘Next Up’ podcast. “From a resources standpoint, I think it just keeps growing and growing. I think for us it’s just continue to bring in the right people, the right fits, from a player standpoint. And coaches, you want your coaches to get promoted and get jobs. You want your assistants to be coordinators. So, making sure we’re bringing the right people in to continue to fill those spots and be at a high level. If we can continue to do that, we’ll be in a great place.”

USA TODAY’s Big Ten power rankings

1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Michigan
5. Illinois
6. Nebraska
7. Iowa
8. Southern California
9. Indiana
10. Minnesota
11. Rutgers
12. Washington
13. Michigan State
14. UCLA
15. Wisconsin
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue

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