Posted on Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 3:03 p.m.
Michigan football team 26th in AP and USA Today polls
By AnnArbor.com Staff
The Michigan football team is on the cusp of both major top 25 polls after its 35-31 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night.
The Associated Press and USA Today polls have Michigan listed atop its “others receiving votes” list, several votes shy of No. 25 Mississippi State -- the team that beat Michigan 52-14 in last year’s Gator Bowl.
Both polls have the same top six: Oklahoma (1-0), Alabama (2-0), LSU (2-0), Boise State (1-0), Florida State (2-0) and Stanford (2-0).
The Sooners take that No. 1 ranking into a game at No. 5 Florida State on Saturday.
Big Ten teams in the polls include (AP listed first): Wisconsin (7/8), Nebraska (10/10), Michigan State (15/15) and Ohio State (17/16).
See full polls: Associated Press | USA Today
Comments
Hailmary
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 : 11:52 a.m.
A good showing to me equalls opportunity and what I mean is, we need to be far enough in points where coach Hoke feels comfortable enough to experiment with backups specifically get the other QB some playing time. At the rate DR is being used it's just a matter of time before our other QB is going to be needed. This team is a work in progress and Brady and staff are mixing and matching trying to ge t the right chemistry and that's where a team like EMU comes at a very opportune time. This can't be accomplished unless we're far enough ahead in points. Notre Dame thought they had a comfortable lead.
Tru2Blu76
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 : 10:10 a.m.
"Honestly" - I tend to agree with most posts here. Hoke has said it himself: the team has not played up to the standard set - yet. We all know: this is gonna take some time. The win over ND was exciting - really exciting at the end. That just shows how fragile the Wolverines are: pulling out a win was really wild luck falling in their favor. If not for Denard: just ask yourself what the final score would have been. No team can survive long with just one star player. Lucky that Michigan faces four consecutive comparatively weak teams - that's four weeks more of practice and getting the chance to get fully in gear on the field. If they then fail to make a credible showing against Michigan State - we can pretty much write off the whole season. The defense must be able to stop the run and the offense must be able to generate running yardage. (Adding: the D has to get more penetration on blitzes.) Kinda boils down to that, IMO. I'm open to suggestions about what constitutes a credible showing against MSU.
stunhsif
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 : 2:22 a.m.
And A2.com is posting this 26th national ranking as if it were something to brag about, what an embarassment for this once proud football team !
tim
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
Notre Dame was better this year than they've been in the past, and it showed in the first half. You never really know how good the team is that you've just played until later in the season.My hope is that ( as in the Bo era) that UM will improve as the season matures . Saturday we went from bad to good, a quarterback that can get out of a jam, and a great recruiting class coming up. We are weak but headed in the right direction. Go Blue!
Yeah buddy
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.
Every year Michigan beats a bad Notre Dame team and everyone wants to put them in the top 25. It was a great win, but a terribly played game where the last mistake killed. We have 4 consecutive games where we should win coming up and we'll see how they handle those before talking about rankings.
Hailmary
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 1:12 p.m.
No, no and absolutely not. Right now Mich. needs every advantage afforded them and putting Mich in a class with the decent teams in college football does not give Mich. the edge they need. I'm betting if you asked Brady Hoke what he thought of the game he woluld tell you, I'll take the win but not the way we won. I'm betting that that game was an ominous forcast to Brady of what's ahead in the BTN. if Mich. does not balance this team on both sides of the ball and I'm guessing coach Hoke knows we're dead in the water if we don't find a running back that can at least get 75 yards a game. I'm also betting that Denard is starting to feel those hits even if he appears to be healthy. Mich. won to weird games against less than good teams and they won those games in a bizarre fashion. Let's see how we hold up against San Diego State? Did any of you notice that coach Hoke did not appear to happy after that game? Coach Hoke knows.
MyBoyBlue
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 12:53 a.m.
I can't help it; the replay for the game is on the BTN. It's twice as nice a second time around. What impressed me so much was how Hoke never yelled; not once, not at a player and not at a referee (not even after Avery's phantom interference call). When a player messed up, he always called them over and spoke to them one-on-one, as though he were trying to teach them. I think Michigan is on the right track; but there is still some work to be done. I think Hoke is the man to get them there. Grades: Special teams: B (with the exception of the last kickoff return, there were very good I think). Defense: C (They kept MI in the game during the first half and made some key stops and turnovers when needed; but the total yardage given up is still way too much. This is partially due to the fact that the Offense couldn't get going in the first half, forcing the defense to play most of the first half). Offense: C+ (I need to give two grades for two different halfs, the first and the second. I would hand out a D- and a B+. Because I can't do that, I'll just average it out)
MyBoyBlue
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 3:44 p.m.
casp7 -- I dont think they need 60 points for the whole game. But you can't hand out an A after seeing that first half. I might even give it an A had the entire 35 points and yardage been spread out more evenly throughout the whole game. I just think the first half looked dismal. I think we can agree on that.
casp7
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 12:55 p.m.
That's quite a grading scale, B+ for a second-half offense that put up 28 points! To get an A the offense has to score 60 points a game?
MRunner73
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 10:35 p.m.
The polls are still meaningless after only 2 games. For Michigan, we got some respect, so we're 26th. The night game and our huge and impressive comback on national TV got a lot of attnetion. Given the demeanor of Coach Hoke and how the players reacted after the win, they seems humble. We will take each game as it comes and work to improve. We probably deserve a 26th ranking for now and I don't see it as a high bar of standard. My hope is we play better football on boths side of the ball during the first quarter and try to get and early lead and then build on it; as I said, it is my hope.
Joe
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 10:06 p.m.
Honestly we are not a top 25 team....yet. I'm not sure there is a top 25 team that we can beat....yet. I think we can get there. First, the team needs the defense to "get it in gear" from the start of the game. Second, the team needs to find a RB that can help take some of the workload off of DRob and make it easier for him to spring some of those long runs we are used to seeing. Lastly, we need to display a lot more patience that we did last night. Afterall, TiM!!!! GO BLUE!!!! :)
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 9:05 p.m.
I sure hope the game ending touchdown they didn't count doesn't haunt us when the computers crunch those algorithms to decide who plays in Florida and who plays in Arkansas at bowl time....;)
bobr
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.
The last several years almost as soon as Michigan got in the top 25, it signalled the collapse of the team. Please keep us out until we have some Big-10 victories.
Howard the Duck
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 7:57 p.m.
You gotta be kidding!