​Death, taxes, and Ohio State as the preseason favorite in the Big Ten are annual certainties, even though the Buckeyes have not captured the conference title since 2020. USA TODAY Sports has unveiled its Big Ten power rankings as the season nears and Big Ten media days approach in a little over two weeks, with Ohio State once again leading the pack. The question, naturally, becomes where Michigan football stands in the pecking order.
Behind Ohio State sits Indiana, the defending national champion, at No. 2, followed by a loaded Oregon at No. 3. The revamped Michigan Wolverines come in at No. 4, with Kyle Whittingham potentially set to overhaul the maize and blue in all phases. Paul Myerberg weighs in on Michigan, noting the program’s recent arc and what lies ahead.
4. Michigan
The Wolverines endured a turbulent two-year stretch under former coach Sherrone Moore, finishing 2023 as national champions with a 17-9 record and a single win over rival Ohio State. After a downturn under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, Michigan has managed to win at least eight games in every non-COVID season since Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2015. The key question moving forward is how the team adapts under Kyle Whittingham, and how that transition might reshape Michigan’s approach in all phases. Myerberg implies that the adjustment period will be one to watch as Whittingham’s influence becomes more pronounced.
Further down the list sits No. 5 Penn State, No. 6 Iowa, No. 7 USC, No. 8 Washington, followed by the rest of the field. The ranking mix reflects some notable uncertainties: Penn State currently presents a hybrid identity between the James Franklin-led Nittany Lions and the adjustments seen at Iowa State, while Iowa is widely considered the most inexperienced team in the conference. USC, with its high-profile potential, looms as a serious challenger for the conference’s summit, which adds to the sense that the Big Ten race could be more unsettled than conventional wisdom suggests. Despite the ambiguities, placing Michigan at No. 4 feels fair, even if the Wolverines might realistically settle somewhere between third and sixth depending on how the season unfolds against Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, and Iowa.
This assessment originated with Wolverines Wire, and USA TODAY Sports has since incorporated the perspective into its Big Ten power rankings in anticipation of the forthcoming season. As the conference landscape evolves, Michigan’s trajectory under Whittingham will be a focal point for fans and analysts alike, with the expectation that the team could rise, hold steady, or slide under the weight of a competitive, and perhaps unpredictable, Big Ten slate.