ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The College Football Playoff rankings have been revealed, and the 7-2 Michigan Wolverines have one of the narrowest paths to enter the party.
The CFP rankings came out on ESPN on Tuesday (Nov. 4) at 8 p.m., and the Wolverines ranked No. 21.
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They’re ranked the same in the AP Top 25, but the CFP rankings are king as Sherrone Moore, Chip Lindsey, and Wink Martindale’s crew enter the fourth quarter of the regular season with all of their goals still in front of them to make the 12-team playoff.
The 12-person CFP committee will announce updated rankings every Tuesday through Dec. 7.
We debut at 21 in the initial CFP rankings of the year pic.twitter.com/ZDVnGNjhhe
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 5, 2025
Michigan is off this week but will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, inside Wrigley Field when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats at noon in Chicago.
🚨 Kick Time Set at Northwestern
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 3, 2025
⏰ Noon ET
📍 Wrigley Field
📺 Fox pic.twitter.com/nSJOQTtJbL
To make the 12-team rankings, the Wolverines would have to win their final three games, including Northwestern, Maryland, and No. 1-ranked Ohio State.
They would also need a little help, as the USC Trojans (6-2), who beat them 31-13 inside the LA Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11.
The Trojans are ranked at No. 20 and would need to lose another game down the stretch for the Wolverines to have a clearer path.
Michigan also lost to No. 11 Oklahoma (7-2) on Oct. 6, 2025, 24-13, at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Wolverines’ most quality win came against the No. 24-ranked Washington Huskies inside the Big House in a 24-7 victory.
The CFP begins on Dec. 19-20 with four first-round games played on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams, meaning teams ranked 5-8 will host teams ranked 9-12.
For Michigan, they have a 13.2% chance to still make the CFP, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, but all that is at stake is to win their final three games of the season.
To do so, they’ll need to get their passing attack on track behind the arm of Bryce Underwood and return some of their players from injury, as many of their best players are out with injuries.
In their victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, the wounded Wolverines were without Heisman hopeful Justice Haynes, Rod Moore, Cole Sullivan, Jimmy Rolder, Evan Link, and Micah Ka’apana, among others.
They are also very young, as Michigan is starting at least three freshman offensive linemen, a freshman quarterback, and some freshman wide receivers on offense, and they are still 7-2.