Wolverine Digest

Michigan football's playoff ranking revealed after Ohio State loss

The Wolverines remained in the CFP's Top 25 after a loss to the Buckeyes
Seth Berry|
Michigan Wolverines defensive end Lugard Edokpayi (88)n celebrates in the first half of the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan Wolverines defensive end Lugard Edokpayi (88)n celebrates in the first half of the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

After the Michigan Wolverines' 27-9 loss to Ohio State this past Saturday, Sherrone Moore's team got a look at where they are ranked during the second to last rankings for the College Football Playoff on Tuesday night on ESPN.

Michigan checked in at No. 19, dropping four spots from its prior ranking last week. The Wolverines are ranked one spot lower than they are in the AP Poll, as that poll ranked Michigan at No. 18.

Michigan's regular season is now over as the Wolverines await their fate to see what bowl game they will be selected to with the playoff now out of reach.

The Wolverines finished the 2025 regular season with a 9-3 record, with wins over New Mexico, Central Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Washington, Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Maryland. Michigan's losses this season came to No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 16 USC.

Michigan Wolverine
Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore leads his team onto the field for the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff begins on Dec. 19-20 with four first-round games to be played on the campuses of the higher seeds. It concludes Jan. 19 with the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium outside Miami (Fla.).

The CFP committee is using a new method this season with a "straight seeding" model, which places teams on the same line in the bracket as their ranking without regard to whether they won their conference title, as was the case last year in the first 12-team playoff rollout. However, five conference champions are still guaranteed spots.

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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