Michigan Football Slotted Behind Ohio State, 2 Other Big Ten Teams in Preseason Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 7:29 PM ET

Michigan football has built up a full speed hype train heading into year two of the Sherrone Moore era despite an uneven, up-and-down 2024 season that included a hodge podge of big wins and devastating losses.

The Wolverines failed their first big test of the season against the Texas Longhorns before recovering down the stretch and finishing strong.

On Monday, Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports released his 2025 Top 136 College Football Rankings and included the Wolverines in the top 25, behind three other Big Ten teams and ahead of two others.

"After a strong close to the 2024 season with wins over Ohio State and Alabama, along with a huge victory on the recruiting trail by flipping quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU, the Wolverines are riding a wave of momentum in '25," Lassan wrote.

"Underwood's development under coach Sherrone Moore and new coordinator Chip Lindsey will decide just how high Michigan climbs in the latest Big Ten standings.

"The Wolverines lost a couple of key pieces on defense, but this unit will rank among the best in the conference once again," he added, placing Michigan at 15th in the country headed toward fall camp.

James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions were placed second in the country behind Texas while Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes came in third.

Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks ranked sixth spots ahead of Michigan at number nine while Michigan was placed just ahead of Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers, who were ranked 16th, and Bret Bielema's Illinois Fighting Illini at spot number 17.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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