Michigan football a strong national title contender in newest rankings

At this point in the offseason, the Michigan football program has made it abundantly clear how they view this coming season. For this year’s Wolverines, it’s national championship or bust; in fact, many fans view the season in a similar light. Now, some major media outlets are starting to view Michigan football that way. Most recently, On3 released a post-spring college football top 25 which has Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines listed among the nation’s top teams, just one spot behind Georgia.

Michigan football listed among nation’s best in newest top 25 rankings

On Monday morning, Jesse Simonton of On3 released his most recent top 25 list in anticipation of the 2023 college football season. For now, he views Michigan in a strong light as he listed the Wolverines at No. 2, just behind the Georgia Bulldogs.

Post-Spring CFB Top 25 per @JesseReSimonton?

Do you agree? ?https://t.co/KPeajG9d72 pic.twitter.com/gG1H3N6Zef

— On3 (@On3sports) May 22, 2023

For most college football fans, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Michigan football was one of the country’s best four teams in 2021 and 2022. Heading into 2023, the team has the fifth most production returning in college football, with 81 percent on offense and 84 percent on defense.

Adding to that returning production, the Wolverines are bringing in the No. 25 transfer portal class and the No. 19 recruiting class of 2023. While the numbers might not be all that impressive, both classes have plenty of talent within them.

Overall, Michigan football is more than deserving of their high praise heading into 2023. They bring back an embarrassment of riches from last year’s team, and they’ve stayed hungry through it all. The Wolverines are (and should continue to be) favorites to win the Big Ten Championship. Not to mention, they could quickly go on to become favorites to make the national championship.

Overall, post-spring rankings mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Michigan football could be ranked No. 1 right now and end up losing five games in 2023. Still, it’s certainly a good sign for the Wolverines — it’s also always fun to see Michigan ranked ahead of Ohio State in preseason projections.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is