Michigan football stays put in AP Poll after win over Northwestern

The Michigan Wolverines stayed at No. 18 in this week’s AP Poll, coming off a 24-22 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Saturday in Chicago.

Heading into the Nov. 22 clash at Maryland, Michigan has been ranked for 118 of its last 139 games and 64 of the last 74 poll releases dating back to the start of the 2015 season. All time, Michigan has been ranked in the AP poll 939 times, the second most of any program in college football.

Five teams in the Big Ten, including the Wolverines, are ranked after the Week 11 schedule. Ohio State sits at No. 1, while Indiana remains at No. 2. Oregon sits tied at No. 6 with Texas Tech, while USC (No. 16) and Michigan (No. 18) are inside the top-20.

Michigan needed a last-second field goal to leave Wrigley Field with a victory, and it was a roller coaster game, says head coach Sherrone Moore.

“When you coach this game, when you’re part of this game with these young men, coaches, staff, and you’re with them for hours and hours on end on the day, and you go through that emotional rollercoaster like that, you appreciate the hard work, you appreciate their fight, their grit to finish,” Moore said. “I haven’t been a part of a five-turnover game and won the game. The last time Michigan had five was South Carolina in 2018. We lost. You know, having five turnovers. So, there are things that we know from a decision-making standpoint. We’re going to take that as coaches, not as players. But, at the end of the day, we found a way to win, and that’s the most important piece. So, really excited for our team to be 8-2 right now as we go into this next game, as we go to prepare for Maryland.”

Here is the full poll released on Sunday afternoon following the Week 12 slate of games. Each week’s AP Poll will be released on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET for the rest of the season. The true mark will be revealed on Tuesday night with the unveiling of the College Football Playoff committee’s third batch of rankings.

AP poll: Where Michigan stands heading into Week 13

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Georgia
5. Ole Miss
T-6. Texas Tech
T-6. Oregon
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. BYU
12. Vanderbilt
13. Utah
14. Miami (FL)
15. Georgia Tech
16. USC
17. Texas
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Tennessee
21. James Madison
22. North Texas
23. Missouri
24. Tulane
25. Houston

What’s next for U-M?

Michigan heads to Maryland on Saturday for a showdown with the Terrapins in College Park. The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.