With spring football over around the country, many college football experts have released their power rankings. In all the rankings, Michigan is near the top-10.
Here’s where the Wolverines stand:
• Bill Bender of Sporting News has Michigan at No. 8 in his power rankings.
“The Wolverines have the eighth-best record among Power 5 teams since Jim Harbaugh arrived at Ann Arbor in 2015, but the only record that gets air time is 0-4,” he writes. “Harbaugh still hasn't beat Ohio State, and the schedule features the same potholes with an early matchup against Army and road trips to Wisconsin and Penn State. The hire of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and the promise of #SpeedInSpace on offense will build some enthusiasm around quarterback Shea Patterson and a talented group of receivers that includes Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. The Wolverines still need to find a running back, and defensive coordinator Don Brown has several pieces to replace on defense.”
U-M 2019 Opponents in Rankings: Ohio State at No. 5, Notre Dame at No. 10, Penn State at No. 12, Army at No. 17 and Wisconsin at No. 21
• Stewart Mandel of the Athletic has Michigan at No. 11 in his power rankings.
“It seems Jim Harbaugh truly has ceded control of his offense to new coordinator Josh Gattis, who is installing a modern, RPO-heavy system that fits QB Shea Patterson,” Mandel writes. “He has proven WRs like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. Running back is a concern, and Michigan lost a ton of stars on defense. DC Don Brown is experimenting with guys in multiple roles. LB Josh Uche and CB Ambry Thomas will need to take big strides.”
U-M 2019 Opponents in Rankings: Notre Dame at No. 6, Ohio State at No. 8, Penn State at No. 9, Iowa at No. 18 and Wisconsin at No. 19
• Paul Myerberg of USA Today has Michigan at No. 6 in his latest power rankings.
“It seems Jim Harbaugh truly has ceded control of his offense to new coordinator Josh Gattis, who is installing a modern, RPO-heavy system that fits QB Shea Patterson. He has proven WRs like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. Running back is a concern, and Michigan lost a ton of stars on defense. DC Don Brown is experimenting with guys in multiple roles. LB Josh Uche and CB Ambry Thomas will need to take big strides."
U-M 2019 Opponents in Rankings: Ohio State at No. 5, Notre Dame at No. 11, Army at No. 20, Penn State at No. 21 and Wisconsin at No. 25
• Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com has Michigan at No. 9 in his latest power rankings.
“Shea Patterson's final season opens with the return of four offensive line starters,” he writes. “There are massive holes on defense with the loss of Chase Winovich, Rashan Gary and Devin Bush.”
U-M 2019 Opponents in Rankings: Ohio State at No. 6, Notre Dame at No. 11, Wisconsin at No. 13, Army at No. 19, Penn State at No. 20 and Iowa at No. 25.
• Scooby Axson of Sports Illustrated has Michigan at No. 7 in his latest power rankings.
“It still remains to be seen whether Jim Harbaugh can fully pass off control of the offense to one of his assistants, but the hiring of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and the emphasis on speed-in-space sounds like a step in the right direction,” he writes. “Among the issues the Wolverines have going into fall practice is settling the running back rotation; there are plenty of returning starters elsewhere on offense, which should set a high ceiling for quarterback Shea Patterson. Christian Turner, Tru Wilson and Zach Charbonnet will be sharing carries if projected starter Chris Evans doesn’t return from his academics-related spring suspension.”
U-M 2019 Opponents in Rankings: Ohio State at No. 4, Notre Dame at No. 5, Penn State at No. 14, Wisconsin at No. 17, Iowa at No. 18 and Michigan State at No. 23
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