Michigan’s keep at No. 18 lasted one week. The Wolverines dropped six spots to No. 24 in Sunday’s l after shedding 20-19 to Iowa at Michigan Stadium.
That may be a pretty harsh correction for a one-point loss to an unbeaten opponent, however the coaches had been apparently unimpressed by how Michigan misplaced it. The Wolverines led with two seconds remaining, managed the yardage battle and nonetheless watched Iowa go away Ann Arbor with the win. Ballot voters have a tendency to recollect the ending.
Michigan had P one week earlier. Iowa, in the meantime, climbed three spots to No. 14 after its s.

Contents
2026 US LBM Coaches Ballot Prime 25
| Rank | Workforce | File | Factors | 1st | Earlier | Change | Excessive/Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 4-0 | 1,779 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 1/4 |
| 2 | Georgia | 4-0 | 1,735 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2/3 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 4-0 | 1,641 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3/5 |
| 4 | Miami (FL) | 4-0 | 1,569 | 0 | 5 | +1 | 4/7 |
| 5 | Indiana | 4-0 | 1,554 | 8 | 4 | -1 | 4/6 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 3-1 | 1,463 | 0 | 7 | +1 | 1/7 |
| 7 | Alabama | 4-0 | 1,399 | 0 | 8 | +1 | 7/12 |
| 8 | Florida | 4-0 | 1,214 | 0 | 22 | +14 | 8/NR |
| 9 | BYU | 3-0 | 1,166 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9/15 |
| 10 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 1,108 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10/13 |
| 11 | LSU | 3-1 | 1,097 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 7/13 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 3-1 | 1,021 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 6/12 |
| 13 | Utah | 4-0 | 917 | 0 | 15 | +2 | 13/21 |
| 14 | Iowa | 4-0 | 887 | 0 | 17 | +3 | 14/22 |
| 15 | Oregon | 3-1 | 866 | 0 | 16 | +1 | 2/18 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 658 | 0 | NR | +11 | 16/NR |
| 17 | Tennessee | 3-1 | 648 | 0 | 13 | -4 | 13/18 |
| 18 | USC | 4-1 | 511 | 0 | 12 | -6 | 11/18 |
| 19 | SMU | 3-1 | 327 | 0 | 25 | +6 | 16/25 |
| 20 | Houston | 3-1 | 301 | 0 | NR | +6 | 20/NR |
| 21 | Duke | 4-0 | 230 | 0 | NR | +7 | 21/NR |
| 22 | Penn State | 3-1 | 207 | 0 | 14 | -8 | 14/22 |
| 23 | UCLA | 4-0 | 183 | 0 | NR | +14 | 23/NR |
| 24 | Michigan | 3-1 | 166 | 0 | 18 | -6 | 16/24 |
| 25 | Missouri | 3-1 | 152 | 0 | 21 | -4 | 21/25 |
Dropped out: No. 19 Louisville, No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 23 Washington and No. 24 Oklahoma.
Michigan Paid for How It Misplaced
The six-place drop says greater than the ultimate margin. Michigan outgained Iowa 429-285, held the Hawkeyes to 58 speeding yards and possessed the ball for greater than 34 minutes, in accordance with the s. These are normally successful numbers. A 99-yard kickoff return, a failed two-point conversion and Iowa’s 75-yard landing drive within the closing 1:48 turned them into background noise.
There may be an odd little bit of ballot logic right here. Michigan fell behind two groups with losses, USC and Tennessee, after shedding by one level to the brand new No. 14 group. Voters clearly punished the Wolverines for letting a winnable sport escape reasonably than merely grading the standard of the opponent. That will really feel extreme, however Michigan equipped the proof.
Minnesota Presents a Fast Reset
The rating harm is actual, however it isn’t everlasting. Michigan’s a, adopted by an open week earlier than Penn State visits Michigan Stadium on Oct. 17. That schedule offers the Wolverines an opportunity to stabilize earlier than one other ranked take a look at.
e factors in Minneapolis as a lot because it wants a clear end. The Wolverines had been adequate to regulate many of the Iowa sport and careless sufficient to lose it anyway. No. 24 is the coaches’ verdict on that contradiction.























