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Michigan football rises up AP Poll after Week 3 blowout win

Anthony Broomeby: Anthony Broome3 hours agoanthonytbroome
NCAA Football: Central Michigan at Michigan
Sep 13, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Justice Haynes (22) receives congratulations from offensive lineman Greg Crippen (51) and wide receiver Donaven McCulley (1) after scoring in the first half against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Michigan Wolverines have moved up in this week’s AP Poll after closing out their non-conference slate of games at 2-1, rising up to No. 21 in the country. U-M was ranked No. 23 last week.

The Wolverines are one of seven Big Ten teams ranked this week, along with Ohio State at No. 1 followed by Penn State (No. 2), Oregon (No. 6), Illinois (No. 9), Indiana (No. 19) and USC (No. 25). The Wolverines play only two of those teams this year, with a road trip to USC on Oct. 11 and the Buckeyes coming to town on Thanksgiving weekend for the regular season finale.

Michigan is coming off a 63-3 win over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon, led by associate head coach Biff Poggi in the interim for Sherrone Moore, who served the first of a two-game suspension on Saturday.

“This is a really young football team,” Poggi said. “Highly talented and very young. And I want to say this. What an odd day. This day was actually heartbreaking for me. Because I have children who are Sherrone’s age. And we were texting last night. Just about how much he loves me, and I love him. And it was a really hard week in our building, a really hard and emotional week. I think what people that care realize that football is a game about relationships. And his players love him like you wouldn’t believe. And what I would say today was you saw a love letter from 120 young men to their football coach today. And I think that’s outstanding.

“…It was everything. He said I don’t want you playing for me. I want you playing for yourselves and I don’t want you playing for the coaches and for Michigan. As soon as he walked out of the door, I said, we love him. We all work for him. But we’re not listening to that. And so they were locked in for him. And it was a very — at dinner last night, it was a very tearful moment because the players brought him up and gave the break, had him give the break. At that point, he left and he was a wreck. But so was everybody else in there.”

Here is the full poll released on Sunday afternoon following the Week 3 slate of games. Each week’s AP Poll will be released on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET for the rest of the season.

AP poll: Where Michigan stands heading into Week 4

1. Ohio State (55 first-place votes)
2. Penn State (5)
3. LSU (2)
4. Miami (3)
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Florida
8. Texas
9. Illinois
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. Alabama
15. Tennessee
16. Utah
17. Texas Tech
18. Georgia Tech
19. Indiana
20. Vanderbilt
21. Michigan
22. Auburn
23. Missouri
24. Notre Dame
25. USC.

What’s next for U-M?

Michigan heads to Nebraska on Saturday for a Big Ten opener with the Cornhuskers, set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS. Vegas lines posted early Sunday morning have the Wolverines as a 1.5-point favorite heading into Lincoln.

Moore will not be allowed to coach Michigan this week in practice and will be suspended through the day of the Nebraska game, returning to the program on midnight on Sept. 21. The Wolverines are on a bye week the weekend of Sept. 27 before returning to game action against Wisconsin at home on Oct. 4.