Michigan Football's Hail Mary Win vs. WMU Drops Wolverines in AP Top 25

The Wolverines fell following their win over WMU.

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The Michigan entered Week 1 with a lot of optimism and hope. Long-time head coach Kyle Whittingham was in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines were supposed to be a better coached team, along with being more disciplined.

And while that's still likely going to be the outcome, Week 1 was a dud for Michigan. The Wolverines had nine penalties and Michigan needed a second Hail Mary attempt in order to beat Western Michigan, 13-10.

Michigan was voted as the No. 16 team in the nation ahead of the season, but as the second AP Top 25 poll came out on Tuesday, the Wolverines fell.

Where Michigan fell

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Following Michigan's win over WMU, the Wolverines are now unranked heading into Week 2 against Oklahoma.

Both Boise State and Florida are receiving more votes than Michigan, but the Wolverines are next in line with 69 votes.

The Sooners are ranked No. 11 after their 51-0 win over UTEP, a program the Wolverines will host in Week 3.

Michigan is going to need to get a lot more out of its offense this week against one of the top defenses in the nation. QB Bryce Underwood is under the spotligiht and the Wolverines really need him to turn the corner this week.

He came out of the gate firing this past Saturday. He was perfect on his first drive under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck's system, but then old habits reared their ugly head. Underwood found himself throwing off his back foot, starting down his target, and not properly reading the defense.

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The film was worse after re-watching the game, and while the offensive line was not great, Underwood was poor. Whittingham noted that Underwood's leash wasn't infinite, but Michigan wasn't going to give up on him yet.

Aside from Underwood needing to improve, so do the offensive line and the rushing attack. Whittingham said Michigan needs to run with more violence and finishing blocks is key.

Michigan will also have to contain QB John Mateer on the other side of the ball. Mateer is a true dual-threat, who hurt the Wolverines' defense a year ago under Wink Martindale.

Full top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Indiana
6. Oregon
7. Miami (FL)
8. LSU
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Alabama
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Penn State
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Iowa
22. Houston
23. Missouri
24. Louisville
25. Virginia

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