Where 2023 Michigan checks in on ESPN's ranking of all 52 College Football Playoff teams

Michigan Wolverines football finished with a perfect 15-0 record in 2023, winning the program’s 12th-ever national championship. That group — led by head coach Jim Harbaugh — is regarded as one of the top teams in the College Football Playoff era.

The 2023 Wolverines checked in fourth on ESPN.com’s ranking of all 52 College Football Playoff teams since the event began in 2014 (including the 12 teams that made it this season). They slotted behind only 2020 Alabama (13-0), 2019 LSU (15-0) and 2022 Georgia (15-0). Michigan was even ahead of No. 5 Clemson, which also finished 15-0.

“The Wolverines beat Penn State and Ohio State without suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh, and even with off-the-field matters swirling in the background, they were rarely challenged on the field, winning 11 games by at least 21 points,” ESPN.com’s Bill Connelly wrote. “They extended their Big Ten winning streak to 25 games, they handed [former Alabama head man] Nick Saban a Rose Bowl loss in his final game as a head coach, and with the national title on the line, they put on a defensive clinic. They dominated a brilliant Washington offensive line, holding the prolific Huskies to just 301 total yards and rolling to their first national title in 26 years.”

U-M is one of six teams in the CFP era to finish 15-0, and the only Big Ten team to ever total 15 victories in a single season. Only one conference foe has been crowned national champions in the CFP era — Ohio State in 2014. That Buckeye squad, led by Urban Meyer, slotted ninth on Connelly’s list.

There are 10 national champions since 2014, and all of them ranked inside the top 11. The only non-champ to crack the top 10 was 2018 Alabama, which finished 13-1 with a semifinal win over Oklahoma and 44-16 loss to Clemson in the championship game.

Here’s a look at the top 11:
1. 2020 Alabama (13-0)
2. 2019 LSU (15-0)
3. 2022 Georgia (15-0)
4. 2023 Michigan (15-0)
5. 2018 Clemson (15-0)
6. 2021 Georgia (14-1)
7. 2017 Alabama (13-1)
8. 2018 Alabama (14-1)
9. 2014 Ohio State (14-1)
10. 2016 Clemson (14-1)
11. 2015 Alabama (14-1)

Michigan has made three College Football Playoff appearances. The Wolverines’ 2022 team (13-1) checked in No. 22, and the 2021 team (12-2) slotted No. 35.

The ranking can change over the next month-plus, of course, with the first-ever 12-team playoff set to ensue. Here’s where the 2024 playoff teams ranked according to Connelly:
15. Oregon (13-0)
25. Georgia (11-2)
27. Ohio State (10-2)
28. Texas (11-2)
31. Notre Dame (11-1)
34. Tennessee (10-2)
40. Penn State (11-2)
43. Indiana (11-1)
47. SMU (11-2)
50. Clemson (10-3)
51. Boise State (12-1)
52. Arizona State (11-2)