Michigan’s climb in the AP Top 25 picked up another notch Monday, with the Wolverines moving from No. 19 to No. 18 after a 52-17 dismantling of UTEP at Michigan Stadium.
It’s the latest sign that first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham’s team is finding its footing after a wild opening stretch. Michigan entered the season at No. 16 in the preseason AP poll, then immediately ran into trouble in Week 1. A chaotic, controversial finish against Western Michigan ended with true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood hitting a last-second Hail Mary to escape with a 13-12 win.
The reaction from voters was harsh. The Wolverines were dropped out of the Top 25 the following Sunday, becoming the highest-ranked team ever to fall out after a win.
Michigan answered the criticism in Week 2 with one of the most eye-catching results of the young season, stunning No. 11 Oklahoma in a 17-10 defensive battle at the Big House. That win sent the Wolverines back into the poll at No. 19, the biggest jump of any team in the country.
Against UTEP, Michigan looked even sharper. Underwood showed real improvement as a passer, the running game controlled the trenches, and the defense kept forcing the issue with multiple sacks and takeaways. The result was a third straight win and a 3-0 start.
Now the Wolverines get a bigger test. Non-conference play is ending, and No. 17 Iowa comes to Ann Arbor next week for a top-20 matchup that suddenly carries real weight in the Big Ten race.
In Other News...
Michigan May Have Found A Freshman Pass Rush Answer
Michigan got a useful glimpse of a young pass-rush option in Week 3, when freshman edge rusher Tariq Boney made his presence felt against UTEP. Boney finished with four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, a production line that matched the buzz he had already been building in fall camp. Coaches Kyle Whittingham and Jay Hill had both spoken highly of him during camp, and teammates had noticed the same steady rise on the practice field.
For a Michigan front that is always looking for more disruption off the edge, the encouraging part is not just the stat sheet but how familiar the performance looked to people inside the program. Boney's play against UTEP fit the reputation he created in practice, giving the Wolverines another name to watch as the season moves into games that should ask more of the pass rush. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Has A Real Chance To Climb In This Poll Shakeup
USCs 42-35 win over Rutgers gave the Trojans a fourth victory and added another wrinkle to a polling picture that has already been turned on its head by a weekend of upsets. With LSU and Texas A&M both taking losses, the AP Top 25 is in line for movement that could reshape not just the top of the ranking, but also the way the conference race looks heading into the stretch run.
For Michigan readers, the bigger takeaway is the ripple effect. Iowa has a real opening to climb, and USCs path gets even more interesting with Oregon coming to Los Angeles next, a matchup that could carry major weight in the poll shakeup. In a season where every upset seems to pull another team into the conversation, the next round of conference games may tell us even more about who is built to stay put. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Got Answers From Players It Needed Most
Michigan closed non-conference play with a 52-17 win over UTEP, and the bigger takeaway for this staff was not just the score but the way several players answered questions. Andrew Marsh gave the passing game a steady outlet with 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Savion Hiter kept the ground game moving with 62 rushing yards and two scores. On the other side of the ball, Tariq Boney and Jonah Lea'ea both showed up in ways that changed the games feel.
For a team looking to sort out who can be counted on when the schedule tightens, that kind of production matters. Whittingham had reason to point to the players who made those contributions, because Michigan needed more than a routine win out of this one. It got exactly that, even if the real value may be in how those performances shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]