Wolverine Digest

Where Michigan stands in latest College Football Playoff ranking

The Wolverines have two games remaining to impress the CFP committee ahead of the final decision on Dec. 7
Seth Berry|
Nov 1, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall (23) rushes for a touchdown in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall (23) rushes for a touchdown in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In this story:

Michigan Wolverines

The College Football Playoff selection committee revealed its third set of rankings on Tuesday evening on ESPN, with the 8-2 Michigan Wolverines checking in at No. 18.

Michigan's ranking is the same as its AP Top 25 ranking, where Sherrone Moore's team also sits as the No. 18 team in the nation. However, now that the CFP rankings are out, those will take precedent over any other ranking system as it's the 12-person CFP committee who will ultimately decide the 12 teams who make the playoffs when the final rankings are revealed on Dec. 7.

The Wolverines, who were also ranked at No. 18 last week, are coming off a 24-22 victory over Northwestern thanks to a last-second field goal made from kicker Dominic Zvada. Michigan has two games remaining on its schedule—this Saturday at Maryland and Nov. 29 against No. 1 Ohio State.

If Michigan wins its next two games and finishes 10-2, Sherrone Moore's team would hope that would be enough to be selected by the committee as a playoff team when it's all said and done.

Michigan's two losses have come against Oklahoma (8-2) and USC (8-2), who checked in at No. 8 and No. 15 in the latest rankings, respectively. The Wolverines' most quality win to date came against the 7-3 Washington Huskies on Oct. 18 in a 24-7. Washington was initially ranked in the opening CFP poll two weeks back, but dropped out of the top 25 after a 13-10 loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 8. The Wolverines also have a win against 7-3, but unranked, Nebraska, which came on the road on Sept. 20.

Dominic Zvada
Nov 15, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Michigan Wolverines kicker Dominic Zvada (96) celebrates his game winning field goal against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-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.

— Sign up for the Michigan Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Michigan Wolverines on SI —

Published
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.

Share on XFollow berry_seth14
Home/Football