Michigan lands at No. 3 in preseason S&P rankings

While still several months away, expectations are high for the Michigan Wolverines this season.

According to ESPN’s 2023 preseason S&P rankings — which weigh returning production, recent recruiting and recent history — the Wolverines are the No. 3 team in the country and the No. 2 team in the Big Ten.

The top 10 featured four teams from the SEC, three teams from the Big Ten East, two from the Pac-12 and one from the Big 12. Two ACC teams were just on the outside with Florida State at No. 11 and Clemson at No. 12.

Here are the top-10 in order.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Alabama
5. Penn State
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Oregon
9. Texas
10. USC

Preseason rankings do not mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but they are interesting to see where value is being placed at the top of college football. Of the top six teams, the Wolverines are the only one returning their starting quarterback from a season ago, and return the most production of any team in the top 10.

The Wolverines have not been ranked this high in the preseason S&P rankings since 2016 when they were No. 6. Michigan finished that season at No. 6 in the final S&P rankings after a 10-3 season.

Is Michigan ranked too low? Too high? We all know Texas is too high, but what else stands out about the entire top 10?