CFI RANKINGS: #23 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

2007 RECORD: 9-4; BIG TEN: 6-2
Won Capitol One Bowl vs. Florida 41-35
LOCATION: Ann Arbor, Michigan
STADIUM: Michigan Stadium (107,501)
HEAD COACH: Rich Rodriguez
OVERALL: 105-62-2 (15 seasons)
AT MICHIGAN: First Season

Everyone is expecting a down season for the Wolverines with a complete upheaval in system and philosophy, not to mention a ton of losses on the offensive side of the ball…but they still cracked the Coaches Poll at No. 24. Michigan is still Michigan and there will be no shortage of talent—particularly on the defensive side of the ball. If Rich Rodriguez can find a quarterback, watch out.

WHEN THE MAIZE & BLUE HAVE THE BALL

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Calvin Magee (1st Season)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 2
KEY LOSSES: Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington, Adam Krause, Ryan Mallet (TRAN), Justin Boren (TRAN)

As if losing super seniors QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart and OT Jake Long (No. 1 overall pick in ’08 NFL Draft) wasn’t bad enough, junior wideouts Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington left early for the pros, and blue chip recruit Ryan Mallet transferred out. With WR Greg Matthews, RB Brandon Minor and RB Kevin Grady leading a stable of skill players, there is no shortage of playmakers. But who will run the offense? No one knows for sure. Another area of uncertainty is the offensive line, typically a position of stability in Ann Arbor. Sophomore Steve Schilling is a stud tackle and they always bring in top recruits, but it could take time for them to gel as a unit.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) OT Steve Schilling (SO), 2) WR Greg Matthews (JR)

WHEN THE OTHER TEAM HAS THE BALL

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Scott Shafer (1st Season)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 7
KEY LOSSES: Shawn Crable, Jamar Adams, Chris Graham, Brandent Englemon

The Wolverines have the pieces in place to have one of the top defenses in the nation and it starts up front where they return all four starters. DT Terrance Taylor can dominate opponents at the point of attack, and ends Tim Jamison and Brandon Graham are each capable of reaching double digits in sacks. All three need to play with more consistency. The second unit has to replace two starters on the outside, including sack-master Shawn Crable, but sophomore MIKE Obi Ezeh is ready to step up and is a star in the making. The secondary returns both corners with Donavan Warren, one of the top freshman in the nation last season. They should be better at safety with junior Stevie Brown ready to bust out.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) CB Donavan Warren (SO), 2) DT Terrance Taylor (SR)

THE SCHEDULE

I know, I know, it begins and ends with Ohio St., but before they get to “the game” the Maize and Blue must protect the Big House. The season opens with the upstart Utes from Utah and how fast can you say Appalachian St.? Big Ten action begins with home games versus ranked foes Wisconsin and Illinois. They also play host to rival Michigan St., who could be much improved. Both their season and conference play begin in the Big House and Rodriguez had better take advantage of that.

PIVOTAL POINT

Quarterback: The fact that they’re replacing four of five starters along the offensive line is not getting enough attention. Nevertheless, Rodriguez’s version of the spread offense is all about the quarterback (see Pat White). Freshman Steven Threat and sophomore Nick Sheridan come into camp as the top two players on the depth chart, but the player who is creating the most buzz and may ultimately be the best fit in shotgun is incoming true freshman Justin Feagin.

CFI FINAL ANALYSIS

Talent at Michigan is a given. However it has been quite some time since the Wolverines have had to replace this much ability on the offensive side of the ball. There is also a new attitude adjustment they have had to make, as the traditionalists went “outside the family” in hiring Rodriguez to replace Lloyd Carr. Those who wonder whether their bowl streak is jeopardy are going a bit too far into the realm of doom and gloom, but a spot in the final top 25 is not guaranteed. They will go as far as their quarterback (whoever he is) takes them.

ONLY NINE UNDEFEATED TEAMS LEFT IN DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL

WACO, TEXAS-- Losses from Delta State and Catawba this past Saturday leave only nine undefeated teams left in the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll, but seven of the top eight teams still have unblemished marks after nine weeks of play.

No. 1 Grand Valley State still continues its winning ways as the Lakers beat Northwood, 51-20. North Alabama still sits in the second position after its 28-17 win over then-No. 5 Delta State. No. 3 Chadron State is 8-0 on the season after the Eagles beat Nebraska-Kearney, 28-16. No. 4 Nebraska-Omaha handed Minnesota-Duluth a 42-17 loss, while West Texas A&M jumped into the No. 5 spot after beating then-No. 12 Abilene Christian, 41-31.

California (Pa.) is up to its highest ranking ever in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll at No. 6 after the Vulcans downed Edinboro, 26-8. Northwest Missouri State beat Fort Hays State, 17-10, and jumped two spots to No. 7, as did Tarleton State, who moved from No. 10 to No. 8 after a 40-10 victory over Eastern New Mexico. North Dakota was idle, but moves up to No. 9 this week as the Fighting Sioux prepare to face Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday. Delta State falls five spots to No. 10 after its loss to No. 2 North Alabama.

No. 11 Valdosta State rebounded from its first loss of the season to blank West Alabama, 37-0. No. 12 West Chester doubled-up East Stroudsburg, 30-15, while No. 13 Carson-Newman dominated Lenior-Rhyne, 56-13. No. 14 Tuskegee is 7-0 on the season after the Golden Tigers beat then-No. 25 Albany State, 40-28. Catawba and Shepherd share the No. 15 spot this week. Catawba lost to Tusculum, 31-28, and fell eight positions, while Shepherd jumped up two spots after its 36-28 win over West Virginia Wesleyan.

Central Washington is up to No. 17 this week after the Wildcats won their third straight “Battle in Seattle” with a 24-7 victory over Western Washington. No. 18 Mesa State is 8-0 on the season after scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to defeat Adams State, 34-21. No. 19 Pittsburg State beat Southwest Baptist, 42-23, and jumped two spots, as did No. 20 Indiana (Pa.), who beat Lock Haven, 44-13.

Abilene Christian fell nine places to No. 21 after its loss to No. 5 West Texas A&M. Tiffin dominated Lincoln, 57-6, and moved up two to No. 22. Midwestern State beat Texas A&M-Kingsville, 73-6, and stays in the 23rd position. Slippery Rock enters the poll at No. 24 for the first time since 2001. The Rock beat Shippensburg, 38-34, and moved its record to 7-1. Newberry re-enters the Coaches’ Poll at No. 25 after a two-week layoff. The Indians handed then-No. 18 Wingate a 31-23 loss.

Conference Breakdown: Lone Star-4 (West Texas A&M, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, Midwestern State); Pennsylvania State Athletic-4 (California (Pa.), West Chester, Indiana (Pa.), Slippery Rock); Gulf South-3 (North Alabama, Delta State, Valdosta State); North Central-3 (Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, Central Washington); South Atlantic-3 (Catawba, Carson-Newman, Newberry); MIAA-2 (Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State); Rocky Mountain Athletic-2 (Chadron State, Mesa State); Great Lakes Football-1 (Tiffin); Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Grand Valley State); Southern Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Tuskegee); West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Shepherd).

Head-to-Head
Four games featuring teams ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll highlight this weekend’s action. In the first match-up, No. 2 North Alabama will be facing its second-straight Top 25 opponent when the Lions travel to No. 11 Valdosta State. The Blazers will be looking for revenge after a 31-24 overtime loss to UNA last season. The second Top 25 match-up is for the top spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as No. 3 Chadron State plays host to No. 18 Mesa State. Both teams are tied atop the RMAC standings with 5-0 records and 8-0 overall.

The third Top 25 match-up has No. 6 California (Pa.) traveling to No. 24 Slippery Rock. The Vulcans sit atop the PSAC Western Division with a 4-0 mark, with Slippery Rock right behind them at 2-1. The final match-up has No. 21 Abilene Christian facing its second-straight Top 10 team as the Wildcats travel to No. 8 Tarleton State. ACU has won two of the last three against Tarleton State while the Texans are looking to keep pace with West Texas A&M for the Lone Star Conference lead.

Poll Points
Grand Valley State claimed a 51-20 victory over Northwood Saturday and in the process made NCAA Division II history by winning its 35th consecutive game. GVSU’s 35 straight wins passes the previous record held by Hillsdale College (1954-57) … Midwestern State handed Texas A&M-Kingsville its worst loss in school history in terms of margin of victory with its 73-6 victory this past Saturday.

CFI's TOP 25

1. Ohio St. Buckeyes (1); Record: 8-0 (4-0)
2. Boston College Eagles (3); Record: 7-0 (3-0)
3. LSU Tigers (4); Record: 7-1 (4-1)
4. Oklahoma Sooners (5); Record: 7-1 (3-1)
5. South Florida Bulls (2); Record: 6-1 (1-1)
6. Arizona St. Sun Devils (8); Record: 7-0 (4-0)
7. Southern California Trojans (10); Record: 6-1 (3-1)
8. Oregon Ducks (12); Record: 5-1 (2-1)
9. Missouri Tigers (14); Record: 6-1 (2-1)
10. Florida Gators (13); Record: 5-2 (3-2)
11. West Virginia Mountaineers (11); Record: 6-1 (1-1)
12. Kentucky Wildcats (7); Record: 6-2 (2-2)
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (6); Record: 6-2 (3-2)
14. California Golden Bears (9); Record: 5-2 (2-2)
15. Virginia Tech Hokies (15); Record: 6-1 (3-0)
16. Kansas Jayhawks (17); Record: 7-0 (3-0)
17. Hawaii Warriors (16); Record: 7-0 (4-0)
18. Auburn Tigers (18); Record: 5-3 (3-2)
19. Michigan Wolverines (23); Record: 6-2 (4-0)
20. Georgia Bulldogs (24); Record: 5-2 (3-2)
21. Texas Longhorns (21); Record: 6-2 (2-2)
22. Penn St. Nittany Lions (25); Record: 6-2 (3-2)
23. Alabama Crimson Tide (NR); Record: 5-2 (2-1)
24. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (NR); Record: 5-2 (2-1)
25. Virginia Cavaliers (NR); Record: 7-1 (4-0)

2007 USA Today Coaches Poll

The top 25 teams in the USA Today college football coaches' poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2007 records, points based on 25 points for a first-place vote, through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

No. Team Record Points Previous
1. Ohio State (56) 7-0 1,495 2
2. Boston Coll. (1)7-0 1,383 4
3. USF (3) 6-0 1,320 T5
4. Oklahoma 6-1 1,288 T5
5. LSU 6-1 1,173 1
6. Oregon 5-1 1,077 8
7. West Virginia 5-1 1,007 9
8. South Carolina 6-1 997 12
T9. Southern Cal. 5-1 983 7
T9. California 5-1 983 2
11. Virginia Tech 6-1 982 10
12. Arizona State 7-0 936 13
13. Kentucky 6-1 874 18
14. Florida 4-2 726 14
15. Kansas 6-0 705 20
16. Hawaii 7-0 558 16
17. Missouri 5-1 519 11
18. Texas 5-2 396 22
19. Auburn 5-2 372 25
20. Georgia 5-2 282 23
21. Texas Tech 6-1 232 NR
22. Tennessee 4-2 193 NR
23. Cincinnati 6-1 192 17
24. Virginia 6-1 184 NR
25. Penn State 5-2 128 NR

Others receiving votes: Michigan 127; Wisconsin 82; Boise State 61; Illinois 59; Kansas State 42; Rutgers 25; Purdue 19; Florida State 16; Maryland 15; Alabama 13; Wake Forest 12; Clemson 9; Louisville 9; Brigham Young 8; Michigan State 8; Connecticut 7; Fresno State 2; Wyoming 1.