Returning production is one of the best ways that you can tell how good (or not) a college football team might be. While it isn’t the be-all, end-all, it does tend to give a pretty good idea of which teams might have a better-than-expected season and which may fall short.
CBS Sports put out a very flawed returning production list earlier in the year, where it hadn’t counted players who weren’t starters for six games, which, for a team like Michigan football, precluded Jordan Marshall, who certainly is experienced and one of the better starters in the Big Ten. Apparently, CBS Sports is looking to somewhat rectify that by coming out with a new list, ranking teams by returning snap percentages.
By this, the Wolverines come in ranked No. 29, with the seventh-ranked offense and 68th defense.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Ohio State is No. 11, Oklahoma is No. 13, Minnesota is No. 14, and Oregon is No. 16 — with all four of those teams being on the schedule, and three of them considered among the Wolverines’ most difficult games as it were.
However, the CBS Sports ranking isn’t without flaw. As noted, they do not include incoming transfers into the mix, which would preclude at least three likely starters in wide receiver JJ Buchanan, edge rusher John Henry Daley, and nickelback Smith Snowden — all starters at Utah last season who should figure into Michigan’s success in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football’s returning production ranking