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Christopher Boan is a staff writer for BetMichigan.com. He has covered sports and sports betting for more than seven years and has worked for publications such as ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
How Do #9 Preseason AP Poll Teams Play? Michigan’s Potential Trends
For the first time in program history, the Michigan Wolverines enter a college football season ranked ninth in the AP preseason Top 25. That’s on the heels of the school’s first national championship since 1997.
To get a sense of how previous teams ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll have fared, BetMichigan.com, as part of our Michigan gambling coverage, broke down the results of those teams since 2021, with some mixed results for each squad in recent years.
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Trends of #9 Team In College Football Preseason Poll since 2021
Situation | Result |
Average Record | 9-4* |
Average Winning Percentage | .667* |
Bowl Game Appearance | 3 of 3 |
New Year’s Day 6 Bowl Appearances | 1 of 3 |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
How Teams Have Done When No. 9 in initial AP poll (combined record 26-13):
- Clemson 2023: 9-4, 20th in final AP poll – won Gator Bowl
- Oklahoma 2022: 6-7, unranked – lost Cheez It Bowl
- Notre Dame 2021: 11-2, eighth in final AP poll – lost Fiesta Bowl
Operators that offer Michigan sports betting promo codes carry game lines and a ton of preseason props for college football wagering.
The Wolverines have never been ranked ninth nationally in the preseason poll, but they have been pegged into the No. 8 spot six times, doing so in 1956, 1970, 1999, 2004, 2012 and 2022.
In those seasons, Michigan finished higher than their preseason standing in better shape than they started four times, including a high of No. 2 nationally in 2022. On the low end, Michigan placed 24th nationally in 2012. UM also has started No. 10 twice, in 1972 and 1983, each time finishing higher than that.
We’ll have Michigan Wolverines College Football Playoff odds all season so you can track their chances of making the expanded 12-team CFP field in 2024.
How Do No. 9 Teams Fare?
Since 2021, the average year-end standing of teams ranked ninth in the preseason poll has been 9-4. The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish had the best run at 11-2, while the Oklahoma Sooners had the worst showing, going 6-7 in 2022 and finishing the season unranked.
Throw in the Clemson Tigers of 2023 at 9-4 and you have a combined record of 26-13 (.667) for the teams in the three most recent season that started out ranked where Michigan is now. That might give Wolverines fans and bettors at Michigan sportsbook apps mixed messages about how well UM will perform in Sherrone Moore’s first season as head coach in Ann Arbor.
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What Are Michigan’s Prospects in 2024?
At Caesars Sportsbook Michigan, Moore and the Wolverines have +2800 odds of repeating as CFP champs in 2024. That is tied with Big Ten rival Penn State for 10th nationally. Florida State (+2500) is just ahead on the odds board while Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri and Clemson are next at +3500 each.
When it comes to conference futures, the team at Caesars gives UM +600 odds of winning the Big Ten in 2024, ranking fourth behind Ohio State (+135), Oregon (+200) and Penn State (+550).
Last year, Michigan entered its championship season ranked No. 2 in the AP preseason poll before riding a 15-0 Cinderella run to capture the school’s first title since the second term of the Clinton administration.
This year, the Wolverines are 21.5-point favorites at BetMGM Michigan Sportsbook for their opener, Aug. 31 in the Big House against Fresno State. UM is a -2000 moneyline favorite in the Week 1 contest, with the Bulldogs at +1000 to pull off an upset in Ann Arbor.
USA Today photo by Rick Osentoski
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