BREAKING: Michigan football ranked as a top-15 team in preseason AP top-25 poll

The Wolverines are receiving high praise this year.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Football is right around the corner, and Week 0 will kickoff on August 23. One week later, Michigan fans can see their beloved Wolverines take the field against New Mexico under the lights.

Last week, the preseason Coaches Poll came out, and Michigan was ranked at No. 14 in the country. Then today, on Monday, the first AP Top 25 Poll came out -- how did the media view the Wolverines? In the preseason poll, the Wolverines, once again, came in at No. 14 in the country.

Here is the full top 25:

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami (FL)
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Indiana
21. Ole Miss
22. Iowa State
23. Texas Tech
24. Tennessee
25. Boise State

Sherrone Moor
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What a successful season would look like for Michigan

After going 8-5 last season, expectations are back to being high for the Wolverines. Of course, landing five-star QB Bryce Underwood comes with those expectations. According to Joel Klatt, a successful season would be winning double-digit wins and getting into the CFP mix.

“Last year was clearly a bump in the road," Klatt began on his podcast. "Nobody cared because they just came off an undefeated 15-0 season in which they won the national championship. So Michigan fans were flying high.

“They were flying high. But, in year two under Sherrone Moore, maybe not the urgency that there is at Alabama trying to replicate what Nick Saban was able to do, but this fan base is used to being at the top echelon at the elite level of college football. You cannot be an elite program and not be in the mix for the college football playoff.

“So this is not a team that can go, you know, 7-5 or 8-4 and feel like that's a successful year. They've got to be in the mix, in the mix. If they're in the mix, I think people will look at them and say, okay, we've got something going.”

Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Joel Klatt shares what a successful season looks like for Michigan Football in 2025

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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