ESPN FPI: Wolverines drop again despite third straight win

The Michigan Wolverines did exactly what they needed to do in winning all three non-conference games, but the computers continue to drop them down the rankings.

Michigan did look sloppy in its win over Bowling Green on Sunday, but still looked great on defense in winning 31-6.

Despite that, the Wolverines fell to No. 14 in the latest ESPN FPI. Last week they came in at No. 10, but apparently a 25-point win isn't good enough for the computers anymore.

Ohio State jumped up to No. 1, and Oklahoma was the big riser by jumping six spots to No. 2. Georgia came in at No. 3, and Alabama, who had to fight a claw to beat a bad USF team 17-3, is No. 4. The Crimson Tide got the benefit of the doubt despite having a loss and a less than convincing win against a Bulls team that lost to Western Kentucky, 41-24.

Help us make sense in the computers having Alabama at four and Michigan at 14. It is not as head-scratching, though, as LSU being a spot ahead of Florida State despite losing to the Seminoles by double digits in its first game.

Meanwhile, Penn State is the second Big Ten team in the rankings at No. 6, and then Iowa and Wisconsin are at No. 33 and No. 34, respectively.

Fans all know it doesn’t really matter as long as Michigan keeps winning, but it is very interesting to see who the computers like despite not looking very good on the field.

The Wolverines take on undefeated Rutgers this weekend, and hopefully with a win, the computers will start to value the Wolverines more.