{"id":2203,"date":"2026-09-09T13:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:23:02","slug":"michigan-won-the-game-on-a-hail-mary-and-got-dropped-out-of-the-ap-top-25-anyway-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2203","title":{"rendered":"Michigan won the game on a Hail Mary and got dropped out of the AP Top 25 anyway. Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) talks with Chris Bracy (7) after an NCAA college football game against the Western Michigan Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo\/Paul Sancya)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-09-09T11:10:06Z<\/p>\n

Michigan won the game against Western Michigan but lost most of its support in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Just like many viewers Saturday night, Top 25 voters were confused when one second was put back on the clock after it appeared time had run out at Michigan Stadium. And they were dazed when JJ Buchanan came down with Bryce Underwood\u2019s second Hail Mary pass to turn the four-touchdown-underdog Broncos\u2019 12-7 upset into a 13-12 loss.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Mid-American Conference submitted appeals to the NCAA and the College Football Playoff administration<\/a><\/span> asking for the result to be overturned to let the record show the Broncos actually won the game for purposes of rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations. The NCAA said its rules don\u2019t allow a move like that and the CFP won\u2019t release its first rankings until November.<\/p>\n

Top 25 voters have weighed in,<\/a><\/span> though.<\/p>\n

The Wolverines dropped from No. 16 in the preseason poll to out of the Top 25 altogether in the first regular-season poll. It was the biggest fall from ranked to unranked after a win since at least 2008.<\/p>\n

Michigan had appeared on all 69 preseason ballots and was listed as high as No. 10 on one. The Wolverines were on just 22 ballots Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Bob Asmussen of the Champaign (Illinois) News-Gazette, in his 16th year as a voter, put Michigan No. 12 on his preseason ballot and said he knew that was a mistake as he watched Michigan\u2019s offense sputter after scoring on its first possession. Voters sometimes hesitate to penalize a team that wins, but Michigan was going to drop off Asmussen\u2019s ballot regardless. Forty-six other voters agreed with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw them lose in my mind, but they didn\u2019t technically lose,\u201d Asmussen said. \u201cIt was so easy to drop them because of how horrible they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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