Michigan football ranked No. 14 in preseason AP Poll -- too high or too low?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football is ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll, but is that too high or too low?

Last week, the Wolverines checked in at No. 14 in the preseason Coaches Poll. Well, AP voters are equally as enthusiastic about Sherrone Moore’s team, which is coming off an 8-5 season.

Why Michigan could be higher

It’s pretty easy to justify high expectations for Michigan this year. Few teams finished the 2024 season on a higher note -- Michigan dropped a 50-burger on Northwestern, upset eventual national champion Ohio State on the road, and then shut down Jalen Milroe and Alabama in the bowl game.

Michigan lost a handful of top contributors -- most notably Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson, and Josaiah Stewart -- but plenty of the defense that spurred that late-season turnaround is back.

Nobody is really questioning the Michigan defense. It’s all about how much the offense can improve.

Moore brought in Chip Lindsay to beef up Michigan’s passing attack, but this team will still be led by the running back duo of Jordan Marshall and Alabama transfer Justice Haynes.

Unlike last offseason, there’s some hope in the quarterback room, as well. No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood ultimately decided to stay home, and there’s a good chance he’ll take the reigns early in his freshman season -- if not from the jump.

Michigan had 12 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions, and an average of 5.4 yards per pass attempt last year and still managed to win eight games. There’s almost no chance the passing game can get worse, and therein lies the optimism for this Michigan team.

Why Michigan might be too high

Mason Graham. Will Johnson. Kenneth Grant. Colston Loveland. Josaiah Stewart.

Michigan lost a lot of NFL talent from last year’s team, and those guys aren’t necessarily being replaced by proven commodities.

We also don’t know what to expect from an offensive line that, frankly, didn’t deliver the consistency we’ve seen from recent Michigan teams.

Who is Michigan’s No. 1 pass catcher? Who is the starting quarterback? Even though there’s a scenario on paper where the offense gets a whole lot better, there’s no guarantee it’s going to be top-25 caliber.

Wink Martindale found his footing in a big way down the stretch last season, but he’s tasked with replacing his three (and maybe four) best defensive players this year.

Let’s say the defense is good, but not great. And the inexperience at quarterback shows. And the lack of dynamic pass catchers is obvious. Those are the ingredients that could potentially see Michigan fall short of this preseason ranking.

Michigan’s schedule

If you look at the preseason rankings, Michigan’s schedule looks very manageable. Ohio State and Oklahoma are the only opponents ranked in the top 25.

But the Wolverines have six road games, including two who received top-25 votes: USC and Nebraska.

And Michigan fans know a trip to East Lansing is never easy.

So while we’ll hear a lot about everyone’s favorite yearly narrative -- that Michigan has a weak schedule -- let’s wait and see how it actually plays out. Preseason rankings are fun, but four teams made the playoff after being left out of these polls a year ago.

Full top 25

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Florida
16. SMU
17. Kansas State
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Indiana
21. Ole Miss
22. Iowa State
23. Texas Tech
24. Tennessee
25. Boise State