Just moments ago, the first USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll of the 2022 season was released and both Michigan and Michigan State are highly ranked.
As you can see below, Michigan, which is coming off an amazing Big Ten Championship season comes in at No. 6, while Michigan State, who surprised quite a few people during the 2021 season, is ranked No. 14 to start the 2022 season.
Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country to start the season, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, and Notre Dame.
Overall, four Big Ten teams made the Top 25 including Ohio State (2), Michigan (6), Michigan State (14), and Wisconsin (20). Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota, and Purdue also received votes.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 0-0 | 1634 | 54 | NR | — | 1/1 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 1564 | 5 | NR | — | 2/2 |
| 3 | Georgia | 0-0 | 1542 | 6 | NR | — | 3/3 |
| 4 | Clemson | 0-0 | 1356 | 0 | NR | — | 4/4 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 1284 | 0 | NR | — | 5/5 |
| 6 | Michigan | 0-0 | 1232 | 0 | NR | — | 6/6 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 1219 | 0 | NR | — | 7/7 |
| 8 | Utah | 0-0 | 1134 | 0 | NR | — | 8/8 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 1027 | 0 | NR | — | 9/9 |
| 10 | Baylor | 0-0 | 891 | 0 | NR | — | 10/10 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 859 | 0 | NR | — | 11/11 |
| 12 | Oregon | 0-0 | 734 | 0 | NR | — | 12/12 |
| 13 | NC State | 0-0 | 726 | 0 | NR | — | 13/13 |
| 14 | Michigan State | 0-0 | 711 | 0 | NR | — | 14/14 |
| 15 | Southern California | 0-0 | 602 | 0 | NR | — | 15/15 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 0-0 | 450 | 0 | NR | — | 16/16 |
| 17 | Miami | 0-0 | 433 | 0 | NR | — | 17/17 |
| 18 | Texas | 0-0 | 383 | 1 | NR | — | 18/18 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 0-0 | 381 | 0 | NR | — | 19/19 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 369 | 0 | NR | — | 20/20 |
| 21 | Kentucky | 0-0 | 353 | 0 | NR | — | 21/21 |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 0-0 | 339 | 0 | NR | — | 22/22 |
| 23 | Arkansas | 0-0 | 334 | 0 | NR | — | 23/23 |
| 24 | Mississippi | 0-0 | 327 | 0 | NR | — | 24/24 |
| 25 | Houston | 0-0 | 257 | 0 | NR | — | 25/25 |
Other receiving votes:
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1.
The USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of 65 head coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
Nation, who will be ranked higher in the Coaches Poll at the conclusion of the 2022 season, Michigan or Michigan State?
