See where fans believe Michigan will be ranked at the start of the 2026 season in this edition of SB Nation Reacts.
Earlier this week, we asked Michigan fans where they believe the Wolverines will be ranked in Week 1 of the 2026 season. Here are the results of the latest SB Nation Reacts survey.
55% of fans believe Michigan will be ranked No. 11-15, 29% said 16-25, 14% think Michigan will be ranked in the top 10, while just 2% voted unranked.
Michigan ranked in the top 20 in variuous too-early top-25 lists — Fox Sports ranked Michigan at No. 16, Sports Illustrated put them at No. 11, while ESPN has the Wolverines at No. 18.
The consensus seems to be that new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham along with offensive coordinator Jason Beck and defensive coordinator Jay Hill will bring a more cohesive program than what Sherrone Moore fielded the past two seasons.
There’s optimism that quarterback Bryce Underwood can develop into a top tier player during his sophomore season and that the rushing attack of Jordan Marshall and five-star fresman Savion Hiter can do damage. There’s also excitement about some incoming transfer players, including edge rusher John Henry Daley (Utah), receivers Jaime Ffrench Jr. (Texas) and JJ Buchanan (Utah), and cornerback Smith Snowden (Utah).
Michigan was ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 to start the 2025 season, and there’s a strong likelihood Michigan will be ranked around the same in 2026. As we pointed out previously, it doesn’t matter where a team is ranked to start the year, the only thing that matters at all is hoisting the National Championship trophy. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt being No. 1, though, ask Indiana.
Category: General Sports
