This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Michigan lands in my Ultimate 136.
Michigan ranking: 12
Last year’s ranking: 8
Top player: DE Derrick Moore: Has played in 41 games in three seasons at Michigan, starting in 12 last year and recording 4 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 4 QB hurries, and a forced fumble.
RJ’s take: After signing the nation’s No. 1 QB in the 2025 class in Bryce Underwood and former Fresno State QB Mikey Keene, head coach Sherrone Moore has two ready options to lift the Wolverines’ most worrisome, underperforming position last season.
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It’s looking like Underwood is going to start as a true freshman, which is fine, but without a receiver on the roster who accounted for more than 260 yards receiving, it’s an open question as to who he is going to throw the ball to. It also means the running back duo of Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall are going to get a lot of work.
I can’t emphasize this stat enough: the Wolverines averaged just 5.4 yards per pass attempt in 2024 and still won eight games while defeating the national champions. That kind of number is usually a service academy statistic.
Michigan lost just seven players to the NFL Draft; two of them formed the best defensive tackle duo in the country. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has enough talent to find a way to field a top 10 defense, but it probably won’t be from stopping folks running up the middle. Already, Moore has done something Penn State coach James Franklin has not: Beaten a top-five Ohio State program on the road. And he’s just in Year 2.
Michigan Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (+142) Under 9.5 (-176)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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