Michigan football ranks top 3 in preseason SP+ rankings

Before the following college football season, Bill Conoley and ESPN released their preseason SP+ rankings every year. SP+ is an indicative and forward-facing prediction model trusted and used throughout the sport. The model is well known, respected, and often looked at to compare programs heading into a season. The model appears to be high on Michigan football in 2023.

Conoley and ESPN recently released this season’s preseason SP+ rankings — all 133 Division 1 FBS programs were ranked, and among the top three was a familiar face: Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines.

Where does Michigan football rank in the SP+ rankings?

As I said, the SP+ model is very high on the Wolverines heading into this college football season. Michigan football ranks No. 3 according to ESPN’s model, only behind the reigning National Champions — the Georgia Bulldogs — and, somehow, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Wolverines boast an overall grade of 28.8, with an offensive grade of 41.8 and a defensive grade of 13.0.

How does Michigan football compare to other Big Ten programs in the top-25?

There are numerous Big Ten football programs in the top-25 of the SP+ rankings; three Big Ten teams make up the top-5 in the rankings. At the top of the rankings, only behind Georgia, sits the Ohio State Buckeyes, who finished No. 4 with an 11-2 record a season ago. Right on Ohio State’s tail is the Michigan Wolverines, who are coming off a 13-1 Big Ten title-winning campaign last year. Two spots behind the Wolverines are the Penn State Nittany Lions, who finished 2022 with an 11-2 record, a Rose Bowl win, and No. 7 in the polls.

The only other Big Ten program in the SP+ top-25 is the Wisconsin Badgers, who had a rough finish to the 2022 season (7-6) though they made many massive offseason changes (such as hiring Luke Fickell) and look far better in 2023. Right now, the Badgers appear to be a legitimate candidate to win the Big Ten West division this fall.

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