Michigan football: Wolverines ranked ninth in preseason coaches poll

The Big Ten is well represented in the preseason coaches poll with the Michigan Wolverines starting the 2017 football season ranked ninth.

Fall camp is just getting started for the 2017 edition of Michigan Football. As it does, the team will settle in as the ninth-ranked team in the country according to the Amway Coaches Poll released by USA Today.

The Wolverines are one of four Big Ten teams to crack the initial top ten. Ohio State leads the way for the conference at number two, followed by Penn State sixth, Michigan ninth and Wisconsin tenth. The coaches must see the Big ten as a top-heavy league because no other Big Ten team appears in the top 25.

The Big Ten East sets up as a three-team race between Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. Wisconsin is the heavy favorite in the Big Ten West and will host Michigan the week before the Wolverines take on Ohio State. Wisconsin does not appear on the regular season schedule for Ohio State or Penn State.

Michigan starts the season with a high-profile non-conference game against the Florida Gators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. That will be a matchup of preseason top 20 teams as the Gators debut at number 16.

The full preseason coaches poll is as follows (first place votes noted in parentheses):

1. Alabama (49)
2. Ohio State (5)
3. Florida State (4)
4. USC
5. Clemson (7)
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Oklahoma
9. Michigan
10. Wisconsin
11. Oklahoma State
12. LSU
13. Auburn
14. Stanford
15. Georgia
16. Florida
17. Louisville
18. Miami
19. Kansas State
20. West Virginia
21. South Florida
22. Virginia Tech
23. Texas
24. Tennessee
25. Utah

Next: Betting odds nearly even for Michigan starting quarterback

The Michigan-Florida regular season opener is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, September 2. The game will be televised by ABC.