Weekly Polls: Michigan on the Outskirts of Top 25 Polls

Riding a four-game winning streak, Michigan is knocking on the door that is the AP and Coaches polls, but the door hasn't opened yet. The Wolverines (17-5, 7-2 Big Ten) are just outside the top 25 in both polls, ranking tied for 30th in the AP and 29th in the Coaches. In terms of votes, Michigan received 21 in the AP, which is a nice boost from the one it had last week, and 19 in the Coaches. Despite their shiny record, it's not a surprise that the Wolverines haven't broken into the top 25 yet. They still lack quality wins as there's a big dropoff after the Maryland and Texas victories. However, with a homestand against #22/21 Indiana and #10/10 Michigan State this week, Michigan would be ranked with a sweep. This is a big week for the Wolverines.

In other Big Ten news, #4/3 Maryland jumped #5/7 Iowa after the Terrapins handed the Hawkeyes their first Big Ten loss of the season, 74-68. I understand the rationale, but this game was played in College Park and was considered a toss-up. I think the coaches punished the Hawkeyes too much by dropping them to #7 because Iowa is a top-five team in my mind without any doubts right now. Also, Purdue earned a nice bump in both polls after beating Minnesota and Nebraska, jumping three spots to #18 in the AP and five spots to #16 in the Coaches. No other Big Ten teams earned votes from either poll.

Here are the full polls for February 1, 2016:

AP Top 25

USA Today Coaches Poll