The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/716367
SEPTEMBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 53 M ichigan was ranked No. 8, sec‑ ond in the Big Ten behind No. 5 Ohio State, in the preseason coaches' top 25 poll that was released Aug. 4. Conference foes Michigan State and Iowa were the other league teams in the top 25, coming in at No. 11 and No. 15, respectively. The Wolverines play all three of the other ranked Big Ten teams on the road and get Wisconsin, which checks in second on the list of "oth‑ ers receiving votes" (so essentially No. 27), at home. The only other conference teams among the others receiving multiple votes were Northwestern (No. 34) and Nebraska (No. 38). The Wolver‑ ines face neither, but do play Indiana at home — the Hoosiers received one vote (tied for No. 49). Michigan hasn't been ranked so highly in the preseason coaches' poll since 2013, when the Wolverines also started No. 8. They finished that sea‑ son 8‑5 and No. 24 in the final Asso‑ ciated Press poll. They were No. 17 in 2013 and unranked in both 2014 and 2015. U‑M was No. 5 in 2007, its only other top‑10 preseason appearance since 2006, before losing the opener to Appalachian State. The initial Associated Press poll isn't slated for release until Aug. 21, but Michigan recently checked in at No. 7 when the AP released its all‑ time college football poll this summer. The Wolverines have appeared in 806 AP polls, 73.07 percent of all that have ever come out. They first cracked the listing in 1938 and have been ranked No. 1 on 34 different occasions. Michigan has recorded a pair of AP national championships, the most recent in 1997. U‑M teams made the AP top 25 100 percent of the time in the 1970s, the height of Michigan's poll dominance. That followed on the heels of the disappointing 1960s, in which they were there only 26.98 percent of the time. The all‑time top 10 are as follows, with points rankings based on poll appearances, No. 1 rankings and championships: 1. Ohio State (1,112) 2. Oklahoma (1,055) 3. Notre Dame (1,042) 4. Alabama (993) 5. USC (974) 6. Nebraska (901) 7. Michigan (894) 8. Texas (822) 9. Florida State (714) 10. Florida (674) NFL.COM: MICHIGAN HAS SIXTH-MOST NFL TALENT IN THE COUNTRY Michigan has the sixth‑most NFL talent in the country, according to NFL.com's Chad Reuter, ranking one spot higher than No. 7 Ohio State. The Michigan players to watch in‑ clude senior tight end Jake Butt, se‑ nior defensive end Taco Charlton, fifth‑year senior wide receiver Jehu MICHIGAN FOOTBALL U‑M No. 8 In Initial Coaches' Poll, No. 7 All‑Time In AP Polling Jim Harbaugh's 2016 Wolverines checked in at No. 8 in the first coaches' poll of the season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 1st-Place Rk. Team Points Votes 1. Alabama 1,585 55 2. Clemson 1,524 7 3. Oklahoma 1,398 0 4. Florida State 1,351 1 5. Ohio State 1,321 0 6. LSU 1,241 0 7. Stanford 1,149 0 8. Michigan 1,062 0 9. Notre Dame 1,034 0 10. Tennessee 960 1 11. Michigan State 901 0 12. Mississippi 792 0 Rk. Team Points Votes 13. Houston 668 0 14. TCU 649 0 15. Iowa 579 0 16. Georgia 525 0 17. USC 468 0 18. Washington 454 0 19. Oklahoma State 426 0 20. North Carolina 422 0 21. Baylor 383 0 22. Oregon 361 0 23. Louisville 331 0 24. UCLA 296 0 25. Florida 245 0 THE INITIAL AMWAY COACHES' POLL: