Following its 24-10 victory of Wisconsin, the AP Poll Top 25 voters gave the Michigan football team its biggest boost of the season.
The Wolverines jumped five spots from No. 20 all the way up to No. 15.
Michigan didn’t play its best game Saturday, but it did come away with a win. And in a week chock-full of massive upsets, simply walking away with a win will secure a nice boost in the Sunday rankings.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood had a successful day through the air, throwing 19-for-28 for 270 yards and a touchdown. He connected six times with graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley for 112 yards and the one touchdown. McCulley’s performance marked the first time all season that a Michigan pass catcher eclipsed 100 yards.
Junior running back Justice Haynes continued to dominate. For his fifth straight game, he gained 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown, gaining 117 yards and punching in two touchdowns.
The Wolverines defense had a great day as well. After allowing a touchdown on the first drive of the game, they didn’t allow the Badgers to score until their final drive. Indeed, Wisconsin’s offense has been rough all season, but Michigan’s performance remains impressive.
Looking around college football, UCLA pulled off a wild upset in Pasadena, as the previously 0-4 Bruins took down then-No.7 Penn State by a score of 42-37. The Nittany Lions have dropped two games in a row and fell all the way out of the top 25.
Then-No. 9 Texas also lost to an unranked opponent, falling to Florida, 29-21. The Longhorns reaped the consequences, also dropping out of the rankings altogether.
Here are the complete AP Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 7:
- Ohio State
- Miami (Fla.)
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Indiana
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Georgia
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Georgia Tech
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- BYU
- Virginia
- Vanderbilt
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Memphis
- South Florida
- Florida State
Other teams receiving votes: Cincinnati, Texas, Penn St., Utah, Nebraska, Southern Cal, UNLV, North Texas, TCU, Washington, Mississippi St., Navy, Louisville, Auburn
What Can Michigan Do To Move Up In The Rankings?
Next week, the Wolverines trek out to Los Angeles to take on Southern California. USC has had a much better year than many predicted. While they are currently unranked, they’ve cracked the top 25 at points this season and have a potent offense.
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has had a great year throwing the ball, having already thrown 11 touchdowns to just one interception. Wide receiver Makai Lemon has also been electrifying this season, forming a formidable duo with Maiava.
The Trojans are giving up an average of 26.7 points per game through its first three Big Ten matchups this season, hinting at potential defensive holes.
For Michigan to continue its climb up the rankings, a win at USC should do the trick. Against struggling Wisconsin, the Wolverines needed to be convincing, but away at the Trojans, just coming away with the win will be impressive enough.
USC is currently a 2.5-point favorite according to FanDuel as of the time of this writing, so the fans think that this game will be a tight one.
You can hear the call of the game when Michigan takes on USC on Oct. 11, on 94.7 WCSX, with pregame coverage starting at 5:30 p.m. EST. Here’s the full Michigan football schedule.
