Where Michigan Wolverines Rank in National Polls After Week 10

The perception of the Michigan Wolverines has declined since last week.

Michigan fans watch their team lose to Michigan State, 15-6, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After a less-than-stellar win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Week 9, the Michigan Wolverines doubled down on the disappointment this Saturday, losing to the in-state rival Michigan State Spartans by a score of 15-6. Michigan looked inept on offense, failing to exceed six points for the second time in three weeks.

Since Saturday's loss, the Wolverines have fired struggling offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Meanwhile, head coach Kyle Whittingham has publicly mused about the possibility of benching Tommy Carr for Week 1 starter Bryce Underwood.

All of which provides the backdrop to this week's national polling.

AP Top 25

If the previous week's victory over Rutgers didn't impress voters -- and it shouldn't have -- then a home loss to Michigan State had no hope of improving Michigan's standing in the AP Top 25. Barring something unforeseeable, the Wolverines will not receive another vote in this poll for the remainder of the season.

ESPN SP+ Rankings

ESPN's SP+ dropped Michigan by seven spots this week, the program's lowest position of the season. The defense remains elite (third overall nationally by SP+), but no other unit has shown any juice. The Wolverines offense only needs to move back two spots to fall outside the top 100, and their special teams currently rank 127th overall.

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ESPN Football Power Index (FPI)

The Wolverines fell in ESPN's Football Power Index as well, dropping five spots from the previous week. They've also fallen behind another Big Ten team, with the Wisconsin Badgers slipping ahead in the FPI.

The Athletic's Rankings

Somehow, the Wolverines only fell two spots in The Athletic's rankings, and they still technically reside inside the top 35. That seems likely to change, with the Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, and Ohio State Buckeyes -- all currently positioned ahead of Michigan in the same ranking -- on the schedule. Michigan will presumably enter each of those matchups as the underdog.

CBS Sports Rankings

The Wolverines saved their biggest drop for the CBS Sports rankings. After showing a little progress last week, the bottom fell out with the loss to Rutgers, dropping them 10 spots and entirely outside the top 50 nationally. Currently, 12 Big Ten programs come in ahead of Michigan. To make matters worse, that list of teams doesn't even include the Spartans who just notched a win at the Big House.

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