College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 6

At this point there is really nothing that Michigan can do but wait and see whether they maintain a grip on one of the final spots in the AP Top 25 from week to week. For Michigan, which entered Week 5 at No. 23 as the lowest-ranked team from the Big Ten, the challenge will come from a rotating cast of characters both below and above them.

While the opportunity will be there to climb up a few spots as teams above them lose, Michigan must also watch out for teams that get a chance to upset higher-ranked opponents. Those teams are the ones most likely to leapfrog Jim Harbaugh’s crew and keep them tamped down in the low 20s if they manage to stay up at all from week to week.

The Wolverines have received the benefit of the doubt so far, despite bringing back one of the least experienced teams in the country on both sides of the ball. Whether or not they can maintain a number by their name for another three weeks leading up to their October 24 opener at Minnesota remains to be seen, but they should hold on at least one more week for now.