We're Getting Close - Release of the Preseason Coaches Poll
Big Ten teams include: OSU (4), Wisconsin (15), Indiana (17), Iowa (18), and Penn State (20). Of interest to Michigan, Washington is at 21.
Using the "Others Receiving Votes", Northwestern is at 27 while Michigan is at 33.
https://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/coaches-poll/2021-2022/2021-08-10/
August 10th, 2021 at 12:52 PM ^
I really don't believe there will be 30 teams better than Michigan by the end of the season. The Wolverines are gonna surprise some people this year.
I'm geared up and ready to go, I hope The Team is too!
Go Blue!
August 10th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
I agree with this and the bar is so low that this spot is realistic.
If we rise heavily, it'll be a great story. If we end up worse than 33(HIGHLY unlikely), then we will be coach shopping.
I like it.....
August 10th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
I hope you're right, I really do, my optimism is just shot at this point.
August 10th, 2021 at 9:58 PM ^
You related to Miracle Max?
August 10th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
I think we'll get back to normal and probably be an 8-9 win team with an end of season ass blasting by OSU again. Not as bad as people expect, but also not good enough to make anyone any happier by year end
August 10th, 2021 at 4:35 PM ^
Yay?
August 10th, 2021 at 2:53 PM ^
My cousin, who played for a big ten school has an excellent grasp of the conference.
He believes Michigan is a lot better than people think.
Really hoping he is right.
August 10th, 2021 at 9:19 PM ^
The defense can only look better. I think it's going to be exciting.
And with Cade McNamara at QB from day 1, there should be consistency in moving the ball. I think the most overlooked new coach is Matt Weiss. There will be a day and night difference in QB play. Everything he has coached has made clear improvement. And the offense will probably make sense this year, for the first time since 2016.
4-0 going into Madison is not unrealistic.
Yeah, I'm saying that in bolds.
August 10th, 2021 at 4:09 PM ^
I don't understand Penn state being ranked.
But I really like how the bar is set so low for us this year. Seems like EVERY single year JH has been here, there's always a really high expectation about what the team will do. Yes Michigan is getting media attention, but not as much as previous years and I like that. Last year it was all about Milton being the next Cam. All the years with Shea it seemed like we had so many expectations. Urban Meyer leaving put more expectations on us. Like others have said, I don't believe this team will finish ranked out of the top 25.
August 10th, 2021 at 9:33 PM ^
I don't get it with Penn St either. They have a brutal schedule. They literally could be 2-4 half way through the season.
August 10th, 2021 at 12:52 PM ^
Seems about right based on our performance last year. Hopefully we can surprise some people.
August 10th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
So we're behind UL Lafayette, Coastal Carolina, and Jerry Falwell University.
Nowhere to go but up.
August 10th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
Well, not really, but I see where you are going with this.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:03 PM ^
Nowhere to go but up.
You better be finding some wood to knock on right now.
August 10th, 2021 at 2:00 PM ^
Chanticleers have become my guilty pleasure fandom team. Love the name and colors
August 10th, 2021 at 3:20 PM ^
Lafayette has a huge offensive line anchored but a yeti from Siberia and a couple of jack rabbits at receiver with hands the size of Kawhi Leonard's.
Actually Liberty and Coastal Carolina were pretty good. Jamey Chadwell will coach a big program soon.
August 10th, 2021 at 5:17 PM ^
This kind of demonstrates how stupid and useless the preseason polls are, imo.
If UM opened the season with Liberty or Coastal Carolina, who would Vegas favor in that game? Would it be called an "upset" if Michigan won?
August 10th, 2021 at 6:25 PM ^
UL Lafayette -- otherwise known as the team that upset a ranked Matt Campbell-coached ISU team, beating them by 17 points at ISU.
August 11th, 2021 at 7:12 AM ^
"upset a ranked Matt Campbell-coached ISU team, beating them by 17 points at ISU."
If Harbaugh lost to UL Lafayette at home by 17 points, lots of people here would have been screaming at the top of their lungs to fire Harbaugh in the locker room after the game and have Campbell move into Harbaugh's Schembechler Hall office by Monday. Oddly enough, ISU getting pantsed at home by UL-L doesn't seem to have bothered the Campbell partisans.
August 10th, 2021 at 12:59 PM ^
Will just make our inevitable ascent that much more gratifying. Go Blue!
August 10th, 2021 at 1:50 PM ^
It's like 1997 all over again.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:01 PM ^
After the last 10 years of having Sept. Heisman winners and almost each and every year being (at times) grossly over-ranked, this makes me happy.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:01 PM ^
Fair. 33rd would probably mean finishing with 8 wins so that seems slightly on the positive side of the over/unders but totally possible.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:02 PM ^
Preseason polls mean less than nothing. Just get out on the field and play football, the rest will take care of itself.
(and guess what: the exact same will be true WRT hoops season, when preseason polls have us in the top 3 and receiving some first-place votes)
August 10th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^
Winning is the only way for Michigan to move up in the polls, given 6 teams are ranked ahead in this preseason poll. There will be every opportunity for Michigan to prove the pollsters wrong. This is an impressive strength of schedule for the Maize and Blue. It's a big mountain to climb at this point.
If only Harbaugh can follow Juwan Howard's MBB squad in moving up the rankings during the season. The MBB team was under ranked preseason and we saw how it played out.
All teams are 0 and 0 at this point so there is some optimism.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
Winning is the only way for Michigan to move up in the polls
Yup. We' tried moving up by losing already and it didn't work.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^
Iowa State at 8....
Cincinnati at 10...
Maybe the guys calling for Campbell, were onto something... even Fickell... we sure would get back into Ohio with him....
I would put us in the top 10 (edit: by the end of the season)... because Harbaugh was down and he finally woke the fuck up, and I wouldn't bet against him now. Gone is the massive contract, Brown's gimmick D, and now we have a QB who is good in games, not a practice star.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:15 PM ^
Top 10 of what?
August 10th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
The Big 10
August 10th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
Oh damn. You're right. I do have Michigan in the top 10 of the B1G.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:29 PM ^
I highly doubt Fickell would ever coach at Michigan.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
Why not ? He wants to coach OSU but they canned him as interim.
Bo wanted to coach OSU too, but Woody was there...
If the rivalry gets good again and he wants to be in it, he will have to coach here.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:50 PM ^
Luke Fickell grew up in Columbus, played for Ohio State, then coached at Ohio State for like 15 years before taking the Cincy job. By comparison, Bo was an assistant coach for 4 years at Ohio State before getting the Miami head coach job for 6 years then got hired by Michigan.
Fickell didn't even want Cincy to play against Ohio State in the OOC schedule. Really doubt he wants to coach Michigan and become a hometown pariah.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:55 PM ^
Bo grew up in Ohio...he is as Ohio as it gets.... Moeller was a multiple year captain for Ohio, and also from there.... they had no problem. They wanted to be in the rivalry at all cost...even if you gotta change sides.... Mattison did the same. I bet you'd have laughed had someone told you a few years prior to him switching, that it'd never happen.
August 10th, 2021 at 5:03 PM ^
Fickell is not coming here - ever. He became the interim and basically took one for the team. He wasn't even allowed to bring in his own coaching staff - remember - he had to keep the holdovers from Tressel. He then stayed on as linebackers coach - I think - and then co-defensive coordinator before moving to Cincy.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:29 PM ^
Did you only just now realize that Campbell and Fickell are fielding historically good teams for the programs they're at? Welcome to being mildly aware of what the rest of the college football world has been seeing for 2 or 3 years now.
Michigan has finished just inside the top 10 once in 6 years under Harbaugh. Ranking THIS Michigan football team in a preseason top 10 is just completely laughable.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:37 PM ^
Sorry, but I should have said that I'd put us in the top 10 by end of season. I think we have a good year, with a tough qb.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
To finish in the top 10 at the end of the season, Michigan would have to be 11-2.
You think Michigan goes 11-2?
August 10th, 2021 at 1:52 PM ^
Maybe..... if we get top play from Cade, then you'll see the type of team you were expecting from Harbaugh. We were right there...with Speight.... Cade is better.
And for what its worth, I think we would beat the 8,9,10 on that list.... Iowa St, UNC, Cinci, if we played them this season. At least two of the three.
August 10th, 2021 at 2:14 PM ^
Cade is better than Speight based on what? We don't even know if he will be the starter.
August 10th, 2021 at 4:02 PM ^
That's a pretty bold statement about Speight vs Cade. You're making some pretty strong assumptions based on a game against Rutgers.
August 10th, 2021 at 9:20 PM ^
Weiss is a better coach than Speight had. Cade was ranked higher. Cade was extremely decisive with the ball when he came in against Rutgers. Bama wanted Cade and not Speight. So Cade has a lot going in his favor. Speight obviously had a good career at U of M before he was injured. But Cade has a much higher ceiling. Just making the claim for Cade. I’m not the OP that you’re responding to, but I can see where they are coming from. Cade has a very good chance to be better than Speight was.
August 10th, 2021 at 9:55 PM ^
I'm not really sure Matt Weiss is a better coach than Jedd Fisch. But maybe he is. I'm sure he will be better than Speight's second coach.
I know almost no one knows Cade McNamara was a Notre Dame commit, who after being offered by Alabama (yes, that Alabama, who had just won a National Championship), de-committed from Notre Dame. There was crootin wars over him.
August 10th, 2021 at 2:10 PM ^
Cindy has been a solid mid major for a little. In the 3 years Brian Kelly was the coach they went 10-3, 10-3, 12-1. Butch Jones had a couple of 10 win seasons too.
August 11th, 2021 at 7:49 AM ^
I would say Cindy is a like a Cincinnati 8 or 9, but a NY or LA 6.
I kid, no doubt Cinncy has built one of the stronger mid majors and has been up there for awhile.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^
6 Big Ten teams ahead of Michigan?!
Of course pre-season opinions aren't games. Even meeting moderate expectations, Michigan would do better, and exceeding expectations may mean much better.
Still, yikes!
August 10th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
6 of our opponents ranked ahead of us right now. Need to win a few of those or it's going to be a really long season. I'm not a big fan of preseason polls but I hope it motivates the team.
August 10th, 2021 at 1:56 PM ^
I think this could factor in. How many times have they had high preseason numbers only to come out flat? Sometimes a knock to your pride can motivate the hell out you.