The first USA Today Coaches Poll was released on Monday morning, and Michigan wasn't far from its College Football Playoff finish in 2021.
Ranked No. 6 in the first edition of the Coaches' Poll in 2022, it's the highest Michigan has started in the poll during the Jim Harbaugh era. The previous high was No. 7 at the start of the 2019 season.
Michigan's rival, Ohio State, will start the season ranked No. 2 with five first-place votes. The Buckeyes will play No. 5 Notre Dame in the season-opening game. Defending national champions, Georgia, who Michigan faced in the national semi-final, begins the season at No. 3. The rest of the top 10 is rounded out with Texas A&M, Utah, Oklahoma, and Baylor.
The Big Ten had only four teams in the top 25. Michigan State appears at No. 14 while Wisconsin is No. 20. Iowa and Penn State are just outside the top 25, coming in at No. 26 and 27, respectively.
The only other Big Ten programs appearing were Minnesota which received six points, and Purdue received two.
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