Charboneau: Michigan should be ranked 9th, MSU 11th

College football, finally, is just a couple of weeks from kicking off and that means it’s time to tell you how the teams stack up.
Of course, that comes without any team playing a single game, but we love rankings.
I’ve never quite fully understood the concept of ranking college teams before the season starts. After all, the rosters turnover on a yearly basis making the task of predicting who is the best far from an exact science
As an example, a quick look at my preseason rankings from last season has Auburn No. 6. Let’s just say the Tigers didn’t appear in my final rankings at the end of the season, though I’m not the only one to ride that train to misery.
Some other notable mistakes were Clemson at No. 12 and Oklahoma at No. 24. Those teams, of course, played in the College Football Playoff. I had Ohio State winning it all, but the Buckeyes didn’t win the Big Ten.
Michigan 7th, MSU 12th in AP preseason poll
Alabama? Ranked the Tide No. 3, so it wasn’t far off.
So with that, here’s my best guess for 2016. There almost certainly will be some that don’t even come close and likely a team not listed here that will skyrocket, but hey, maybe I’ll nail it – like winning the lottery.
Yeah, probably not.
DETROIT NEWS PRESEASON TOP 25
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida State
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Michigan
10. Iowa
11. Michigan State
12. Washington
13. Tennessee
14. Louisville
15. UCLA
16. Ole Miss
17. TCU
18. Houston
19. North Carolina
20. Southern Cal
21. Oklahoma State
22. Boise State
23. Washington State
24. Texas A&M
25. Pittsburgh