Wolverines Ranked Seventh in Preseason Coaches Poll
7/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The University of Michigan football team will begin the 2003 season ranked No. 7 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll released Thursday (July 31) at 6 p.m. EDT. The Wolverines, who last week were listed second in the preseason Big Ten Conference media poll, received 1,110 points in the national coaches poll.
The six squads ahead of Michigan in the poll are top-ranked Oklahoma, defending national champion and No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Miami (Fla.), No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Kansas State and No. 6 Auburn. In addition to Michigan and Ohio State, the Big Ten is represented by No. 20 Wisconsin, No. 22 Purdue and No. 25 (tie) Penn State.
The Wolverines start the 2003 season with three straight home games. Michigan hosts Central Michigan in its season opener on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Michigan Stadium. U-M and CMU will kick off at 12:10 p.m. EDT on ESPN Plus.
Following is the preseason top 25 coaches poll:
| | School | W-L* | Points | Prev |
| 1. | Oklahoma (29) | 12-2 | 1,514 | 5 |
| 2. | Ohio State (28) | 14-0 | 1,495 | 1 |
| 3. | Miami, Fla. (5) | 12-1 | 1,448 | 2 |
| 4. | Texas | 11-2 | 1,291 | 7 |
| 5. | Kansas State | 11-2 | 1,165 | 6 |
| 6. | Auburn (1) | 9-4 | 1,153 | 16 |
| 7. | MICHIGAN | 10-3 | 1,110 | 9 |
| 8. | Southern Cal | 11-2 | 1,075 | 4 |
| 9. | Georgia | 13-1 | 1,030 | 3 |
| 10. | Virginia Tech | 10-4 | 932 | 14 |
| 11. | Pittsburgh | 9-4 | 712 | 18 |
| 12. | Florida State | 9-5 | 711 | 23 |
| 13. | Maryland | 11-3 | 704 | 13 |
| 14. | North Carolina State | 11-3 | 682 | 11 |
| 15. | Louisiana State | 8-5 | 662 | NR |
| 16. | Tennessee | 8-5 | 658 | NR |
| 17. | Virginia | 9-5 | 526 | 25 |
| 18. | Notre Dame | 10-3 | 515 | 17 |
| 19. | Washington | 7-6 | 459 | NR |
| 20. | Wisconsin | 8-6 | 348 | NR |
| 21. | Florida | 8-5 | 312 | 24 |
| 22. | Purdue | 7-6 | 305 | NR |
| 23. | Arizona State | 8-6 | 297 | NR |
| 24. | Oklahoma State | 8-5 | 159 | NR |
| 25. | Colorado State | 10-4 | 143 | NR |
| | Penn State | 9-4 | 143 | 15 |
First-place votes in parentheses; * 2002 season final record
Contact: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
