Michigan moves up in College Football Playoff rankings for Week 12

The Michigan Wolverines have moved up in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, taking the No. 18 spot after debuting at 21st in last week’s initial reveal.

Michigan currently sits at 7-2 (5-1 Big Ten) on the season and is riding a three-game win streak with victories over Washington, at Michigan State and Purdue. It was on the bye last weekend.

The Wolverines are one of six Big Ten teams listed in the second rankings, headlined by Ohio State (No. 1), Indiana (No. 2), Oregon (No. 8), USC (No. 17), Michigan (No. 18) and Iowa (No. 21). U-M has lost to two teams ranked in the top 25: Oklahoma (No. 11) and USC. It plays OSU to end the regular season.

From here through Selection Sunday on Dec. 7, the committee will update the rankings each week Tuesday night. Michigan has a chance to stay in the fight over the last month of the season with road games at Northwestern (Wrigley Field) and Maryland. Should it get to 9-2, it has a chance to punch a ticket, or at least make its case, with a win over Ohio State on Nov. 29.

Northwestern is up first, though.

“They are a really good football team,” Moore said on Monday night. “In every phase, they’re well coached, they’re fundamentally sound, they’re tough, they’re physical, they execute at a high level. I may, you know, I have so much respect for Coach Braun, know him very well through the coaching cycles and meeting him in the Big Ten meetings and having conversations with him.

“He’s such an awesome person, but a great and phenomenal football coach. So our guys got to go out and be prepared to go play a big-time game.”

Here is how the committee ranked the teams heading into the Week 12 slate of games.

Where Michigan sits in the first College Football Playoff rankings

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Texas Tech
7. Ole Miss
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. Texas
11. Oklahoma
12. BYU
13. Utah
14. Vanderbilt
15. Miami (Florida)
16. Georgia Tech
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Louisville
21. Iowa
22. Pittsburgh
23. Tennessee
24. South Florida
25. Cincinnati

The College Football Playoff is a 12-team field for the second season in a row, but with a format change. Instead of autobyes for the four highest-ranked conference champions, the committee will give guys to the four best teams regardless of championship weekend. Seeds 5-12 will play games on campus sites on Dec. 19-20. The quarterfinals will be held at the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the semifinals at the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. The national championship game is set for Jan. 19, 2026 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will still make the field, but the teams will be seeded 1 through 12 accordingly, with no re-seeding.