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2018 Preseason Michigan Wolverines Rankings

Main Poll Voters

User Rank Reason
AllHawkeyesGoToHell 3
CockADoodleBOOM 5
corundum9 5
FellKnight 5
eclectic_tastes 6
Fifth_Down 6
GilBrandt 6
lebaronslebaron 6
mickeyquicknumbers 6 There have been a good number deep dives *why* Michigan underperformed their 2017 expecations (by my count, they underperformed by one game, which is fine). The passing game was truly atrocious last year, and upgrading from 2017 passing to "decent" - which is what I think the floor for Patterson is - will be a world of difference. The defense was young last year and will return to being one of the 2-3 best in the nation this year. The run game was serviceable and now likely complemented by a passing game that is serviceable I think Michigan is looking at a top-30 type offense; combine those together and you have IMO the 6th best team in the nation. In fact, I would argue that the biggest difference between 2018 Michigan and 2018 Clemson is that Michigan will have better QB play than what Clemson gets out of Bryant or a true freshman in Lawrence.
SSJRoshi 6
TheJeemTeam 6 I was surprised that Michigan came in so high in my computer rankings, occupying a tier by themselves here. I went back into the components of my rankings and it looked like the recruiting 2-year Avg was what bumped them into the Top 10. They were 6th as well in my adjusted 2-year recruiting average.
cmdrcaboose2 7
HarbingerOfFun 7
kdcoltred 7
moistats_ 7
Wurst_Law 7
admiraltarkin 8
BallSoHerd 8
galacticdude7 8
Helifino 8
JCiLee 8
ndhuskerpower 8
seaotter2 8
tmart12 8
uwbjb 8
dan4223 9
flipadelphia17 9
G-Aardvark 9
g_mo821 9
GoBlueScrewOSU7 9
HUSKEROYAL 9 The Wolverines have had a solid defense for a few years now, but the offense now has a competent QB in Shea Patterson. This team could finally take a division title that Michigan has evaded since the creation of divisions in the B1G as well as silencing the doubters of HC Jim Harbaugh, who has done a better job than r/CFB wants you to believe. The Wolverines may have the toughest schedule in the country, however, with trips to Noter Dame, MSU, and tOSU as well as games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
nickknx865 9 1958
Papalew32 9
PHubbs 9 Having watched Patterson through his recruiting cycle and playing time in the SEC, I am completely bought into the hype that he can make a big difference for this Michigan squad. I'm more bought into their returning production, though, with 78% coming back on both sides of the ball from what was a very good team. The few new pieces and addition at quarterback might push this team over the edge for a B1G title, but until they prove they can do more than their 2017 version, OSU and Wisconsin have the edge.
plannedsickdays 9
RegulatorRWF 9
sasmith2015 9
TanzaniaMagic 9
WeenisWrinkle 9
BorisNumber1 10
BosskOnASegway 10
Hey_Its_Roomie 10
I_am_bot_beep_boop 10
justsaynotoreddit 10 0.858
ReallyCreative 10
retnuh101 10
SCsprinter13 10
03040905 11
BobDeLaSponge 11
CambodianDrywall 11
djowen68 11
Extra_Excrement 11 Another Big 10 team that returns most of their experienced players. Shea looked pretty good at Ole Miss but I haven't quite bought into his hype as much as everyone else. Thankfully (for Michigan fans), you could literally stick a mop bucket in at QB and it'd do better than O'Korn. I think Michigan will be vastly improved compared to last year but their schedule is brutal. @ND, Wisconsin, @MSU, PSU, and @OSU? They could go 2-3 in those games and still finish a top 10 team.
G-manP 11
Hackasizlak 11
polydorr 11
runujhkj 11
stripes361 11 Composite: 36.3
tallg8tor 11
TaylorLeprechaun 11
thegreendalegelf 11
typicaliconoclast 11
wesman212 11
ya111101 11
Bill3ffinMurray 12
cfbguy 12
chrisb19 12 Harbaugh has taken longer than most people expected to get Michigan back to the level he was hired for. A lot of that has been due to the inconsistency at the QB position. Shea Patterson showed a ton of potential under Hugh Freeze at Ole Mill, and if he fixes Michigan's problems there they could have a better-than-usual offense coupled with a stifling defense. We won't know until we see how quickly Patterson fits into that system.
Dropbackandpunt 12
Harmbert_ 12
HelioOne 12
Hobbes_121 12
Johnnycockseed 12
kelling928 12
KingKliffsbury 12
Miami_da_U 12
Plneapple 12
Red261 12
ryker888 12
ScarletFever333 12
T-nawtical 12
tdeff19 12
ThaCarter 12
The-Gothic-Castle 12
THECrew42 12
UNC_Samurai 12
AaronRodgers16 13
Blooblod 13 Since I'm no longer sporting a Michigan flair I feel like, for transparency, I should mention that I'm a U-M fan. Hopefully we'll see better QB play from Shea "Literally Tom Brady" Peppers than we did from a less-than-ideal QB situation last season, but how the o-line plays will dictate whether this offense sinks or swims. Cesar Ruiz looks to be a stud at center and Ben Bredeson is a reliable guard, but outside of that not much is settled. The good news is that Ed Warriner is now coaching the line and, maybe more importantly, the whole line is being coached by the same guy Hopefully a simpler scheme will make a difference for this line, but only time will tell. The skill positions look to be a good with a formidable RB duo and a quartet of ridiculously talented second-year WRs--any of whom could have a breakout season. The defense is the same old story for Don Brown. The front seven and corners shouldn't concern Michigan fans at all, but both safety spots could be worrisome. My Wolverines record prediction: 9-3. The schedule for the Wolverines is absolutely brutal this year, and even though this is a team with the potential to beat anyone in the country they might not even reach double digit wins. If the Wolverines beat the Irish in the season opener, I think their struggles against rivals still continue with losses at MSU and OSU. Their third loss is a nice surprise from Northwestern.
boxman151515 13 The defense is downright terrifying. Each position group has a potential All-American. The schedule is brutal, but the defense should keep them in every game. Whether Michigan makes a run at the playoff or stumbles to another 8-win campaign will depend on if the offense can improve. I suspect it will under Shea Patterson, working with a strong WR group.
buttforaface 13
captain_sasquatch 13
CFSparta92 13
DEP61 13
dicky_________seamus 13
e8odie 13
Ghost_of_Dude 13
halldaylong 13
hokies220 13 If Patterson is even semi competent then they should contend for the conference.
itsabearcannon 13
olmsted 13
Rakarei 13
ShogunAshoka 13
sirgippy 13
was_saying_boo_urns 13
3RDnKING 14
alsonamedbort87 14
bgr308 14
djmoody90 14
Feral_Squirrel 14
GeneralGBO 14
JonesUCF34 14
mellolizard 14
mjacksongt 14 Don Brown is a fantastic DC with a top-10 level defense. The questions are at QB - and I don't think Shea Patterson is a top-10 level answer.
Our-Gardian-Angel 14
TheReformedBadger 14
TheZachster 14
ToLongDR 14
TotalEconomist 14
TriStarBear 14
ucieaters33 14
vanburen1845 14
52hoova 15 This feels about where they should be, based on some decent success in Harbaugh's first two years followed by a down season from which they are returning most of their players. 
bakonydraco 15
Cassiyus 15
CertifiedSheep 15
coreyfra 15
DarkLegend64 15
goblue10 15 fuck man I just wanna be happy
hascogrande 15
mynameisjona 15
scronko 15
studio_sally 15
T-Thugs 15 Last year they beat the bad teams and lost to the good ones. A similar season would keep them around here.
BamaPride95 16
ChickenTaco 16
conchobor 16
Fmeson 16
Greflingorax 16
icklebush 16
JeromesNiece 16 Michigan will definitely have an elite defense, but whether or not Michigan is a title contender will hinge on their offense. Shea Patterson is getting a lot of hype but I'm not sure he will succeed behind this O-Line. I see Michigan going 2-3 against ND, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State.
jmac_21 16 Michigan may just have found a QB. Could be scary. 
Mario_Speedwagon 16
nemoran 16
puffadda 16
RobertNeyland 16
SCRx 16
teddythe3rd 16
WarEagle9 17
Xtremeloco 17
alextoyalex 18
BlueSCar 18
brobroma 18
DanNeverDie 18
VerySeriousBanana 18
A-Stu-Ute 19
BrutonGaster77 19
bwburke94 19
Charlemagne42 19 Why is Michigan at the back of the 9-19 bloc? Shea Patterson.
confirmd_am_engineer 19
jnoobs13 19
joebob431 19
monkeymatt1836 19
RatherBeYachting 19
xelphin 19 Going 8-5 with a loss in a bowl to finish the season means they have everything to prove. They're still Michigan, but they are a beaten and bruised Michigan.
RiffRamBahZoo 20
Texasagsman 20
woakley 20 This ranking isnt really about who Michigan lost, even though they did lose a strong defensive player and a both QB's. This is more about where I think Michigan is at as a team. Michigan could take a step forward and finally turn the corner with one of their highly touted QB prospects, but im not banking on that. Until Michigan builds themselves a consistent offense, they are going to have trouble in the meat grinder that is the Big 10
Branzilla91 21
Daigotsu 21
dabul-master 22
GenialGiant 22 Michigan went 8-5 last season, including losing their last three games; I'm not nearly as optimistic about their 2018 campaign as many others.
Pikachu1989 22
Nathanael-Greene 23
DeceptiveSpeed 24
PureCFR 24
relax_on_the_mat 24
TheTeamCubed 24

Provisional Poll Voters

User Rank Reason
Blue = Human
Red = Computer
Green = Hybrid

Bold = before the AP poll was published
Normal = after the AP poll was published

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