Michigan Wolverines enter top-20 in CBS Sports power rankings

CBS Sports has the Wolverines ranked 19th in their latest power rankings. Michigan is the 5th-highest ranked Big 10 program, falling behind Penn State (9), Indiana (6), Oregon (5) and Ohio State (2).

Here's what they had to say about the Wolverines' Week 4 performance:

Michigan's rushing attack is difficult to corral, and it helped push the Wolverines to a 30-27 win at Nebraska. Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall and QB Bryce Underwood each scored on the ground. Haynes piled up 149 yards on only 17 carries. The defense sacked Huskers QB Dylan Raiola seven times, the program's most since 2022.

After Michigan's bye week, the Wolverines will return to the Big House to face the Wisconsin Badgers, who are off to a slow start to the season. But after that, the Wolverines will get one of their biggest tests yet, going on the road to face the USC Trojans, who are CBS Sports' 22nd-ranked team in the country.

The Trojans are rolling early. Jayden Maiava has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He's thrown for 1,223 yards and nine touchdowns while completing 70.8% of his passes. He has USC's passing attack rolling, but it's only because their run game has set it up.

As a team, the Trojans have rushed for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in four games. Waymond Jordan, their lead back, has 453 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Behind him, Eli Sanders is also having a strong season, rushing for 250 yards and two scores.

The Oklahoma game came too early in the season. Bryce Underwood struggled in his second ever start on the road against a ranked opponent, but when the Wolverines travel to USC, he'll be much better prepared.

If Michigan can get past USC unscathed, there's a real chance they can win the rest of their games and be ranked in the top-10 heading into the season finale against Ohio State.

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• Michigan slips in ESPN's FPI despite win over Nebraska
• How Michigan's big win over Nebraska affected its AP Top 25 ranking
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