Rece Davis Has Surprising Ranking For College Football Playoff Contender

The four-team College Football Playoff last season included the Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Washington Huskies, and Alabama Crimson Tide. The championship was between Michigan and Washington, with the Wolverines coming out on top.

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel talked about potential playoff teams on the latest edition of the College GameDay Podcast . Both Davis and Thamel had 12 fringe playoff teams and shared their rankings. Davis had the Wolverines just outside the playoff at 14th or 15th in his rankings.

"...We might as well start with Michigan," Davis said. "What we're doing here, group of 12 teams who we believe could make the playoff. Not favored, not predicted by us at the moment. ...We both have Michigan somewhere in this group of 12. I'll start with Michigan, I have them like 14. 14 or 15, not precise numbers here."

The Wolverines did lose a lot of crucial players to the NFL. Quarterback JJ McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, cornerback Mike Sainristil and linebacker Junior Colson were just some of the players Michigan lost to the NFL Draft.

Michigan's head coach position also changed this offseason. Jim Harbaugh is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, and former offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is the head coach of the Wolverines.

Under Moore, the Wolverines had the third-best rushing attack in the Big Ten, with 169.1 yards per game in 2023. Only the Nebraska Cornhuskers (176.8) and Penn State Nittany Lions (184.8) had more rushing yards per game.

Donovan Edwards is the expected leader of the running back room in Ann Arbor this season.

The Wolverines start the Moore era against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Aug. 31.

Related: Rece Davis Reveals Pick For Best Cornerback In College Football Entering 2024