Michigan’s ranking roller coaster has taken a few turns early in the 2026 season. The Wolverines survived an opening-week scare against Western Michigan before shocking Oklahoma in Week 2. By Week 3, they delivered a dominant statement with a 52–17 thrashing of UTEP. While the victory moved Michigan up in the poll, it was not far enough for prominent Wolverines booster and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Portnoy, whose net worth is estimated at $250 million and who has personally pledged millions in NIL funding to Michigan, blasted Associated Press voters for keeping the team at No. 18.
“These rankings are an absolute joke,” Portnoy declared during an appearance on Wake Up Barstool, where his co-hosts echoed his frustration.
“Michigan has a better win than most of the teams in front of them, so I don’t know how they’re 18. Western Michigan, by the way, still has a loss on its record—yet Michigan is ranked below teams with similar records. I also don’t know how you have Georgia two ahead of Ole Miss,” Portnoy added.
In the latest AP Top 25, Michigan climbed just one spot from No. 19 to No. 18, trailing an elite top group that includes Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, LSU, and Ole Miss.
While the Wolverines have built momentum over their last two victories, the UTEP game exposed a critical liability: quarterback Bryce Underwood’s ball security.
Underwood fumbled on Michigan’s opening drive, coughing up the football for his third fumble of the season and adding to six total Michigan fumbles through three games.
Running back Savion Hiter also suffered a costly turnover in the second quarter following a hard helmet-to-helmet hit from UTEP’s Darnell Williams. UTEP recovered and capitalized immediately with an 18-yard touchdown pass to take a surprising 14–7 lead.
While Michigan ultimately pulled away for a 52–17 victory, those early miscues proved costly—and likely prevented AP pollsters from giving head coach Kyle Whittingham’s squad a higher jump.
“We had six possessions in the first half, if I counted right – two turnovers, three scores and a three-and-out,” Whittingham said during a Big Ten Network (BTN) postgame interview. “So we just gotta avoid turnovers. That’s the name of the game, and we’re minus-2 right now. And we gotta get that corrected in the second half.”
The Wolverines entered the season ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25. However, after their 13-12 close-call victory over Western Michigan in the opener, they fell out of the rankings entirely.
Their 17-10 upset over then-No. 11 Oklahoma in Week 2 vaulted them back into the poll at No. 19. Against UTEP, the Wolverines delivered their most complete offensive showing yet, but AP voters opted for incremental progress by moving them up just a single spot.