Michigan Free Falls Out of CBS Sports Top 30

The Michigan Wolverines opened the 2026 college football season inside the Top 25, sitting at No. 16 in the AP Poll . Then came a 13-12 escape against the Western Michigan Broncos , and Michigan fell out of the AP Top 25 entirely ahead of its Week 2 meeting with No. 11 Oklahoma .

The AP voters were not the only ones to move on. CBS Sports had Michigan ranked No. 15 entering Week 1.

CBS Sports Drops the Michigan Wolverines to No. 37

Chip Patterson of CBSSports.com re-ranked every team in the country entering the second week of the college football season. One of the biggest movers was Michigan, which slid 22 spots, from No. 15 all the way down to No. 37.

There's no way to carry the same rating or ranking for Michigan from Week 1 to Week 2 after watching that offensive performance from the Wolverines against Western Michigan. The drama and controversy surrounding the extra second on the clock and the mulligan Hail Mary attempt may have actually overshadowed how distressing the Wolverines' performance was in the context of hoping to see a Big Ten dark horse or College Football Playoff contender. Michigan is a good team, but four quarters of football did not show much evidence of being a great team. Those good-but-not-great teams usually wind up here, somewhere between No. 30 and No. 50, until they prove otherwise on the field. Luckily for Michigan, there's a great opportunity ahead in Week 2 with Oklahoma coming to the Big House.

There's no way to carry the same rating or ranking for Michigan from Week 1 to Week 2 after watching that offensive performance from the Wolverines against Western Michigan. The drama and controversy surrounding the extra second on the clock and the mulligan Hail Mary attempt may have actually overshadowed how distressing the Wolverines' performance was in the context of hoping to see a Big Ten dark horse or College Football Playoff contender.

Michigan is a good team, but four quarters of football did not show much evidence of being a great team. Those good-but-not-great teams usually wind up here, somewhere between No. 30 and No. 50, until they prove otherwise on the field. Luckily for Michigan, there's a great opportunity ahead in Week 2 with Oklahoma coming to the Big House.

Bryce Underwood Set the Tone in the Opener

Quarterback Bryce Underwood struggled against Western Michigan. He completed 12 of 22 passes, 54.5%, for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Underwood also rushed nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown, an average of 5.2 yards per carry.

Dropping Further in the Rankings Is Possible

If Michigan loses to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Wolverines could drop even further in the CBS Sports rankings. Michigan did not look like a good football team against the Broncos. Another loss at home would leave the Wolverines' 2026 playoff chances looking slim.