{
  "id": 10283140,
  "title": "Michigan falls one spot in ESPN’s SP+ rankings after loss to Iowa",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/michigan-falls-one-spot-in-espns-sp-rankings-after-loss-to-iowa",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-27T20:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michigan-falls-one-spot-espn-200000368.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Michigan's unbeaten streak came to an end on Saturday after a last-second loss to Iowa. Despite dominating much of the game, the Wolverines allowed the Hawkeyes to mount an impressive comeback for a 20-19 victory. Michigan's ranking in ESPN's SP+ metric dropped by just one spot to No. 22, while Iowa also fell to No. 19. SP+ takes into account offensive, defensive, and special teams efficiency to predict how many points a team would defeat an average college football team by on a neutral field. Michigan's SP+ rating following the loss stands at 14.3, a 0.8-point decrease from the previous week. The loss has left many Michigan fans speculating about the team's remaining schedule, which includes four games against higher-ranked opponents like Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, and Penn State. UCLA is also gaining ground at No. 24. Michigan's next game will be an away match against Minnesota, who currently sit at No. 52 with a rating of 6.5, suggesting a potential win by about eight points.",
  "summary": "Michigan wasn’t penalized too harshly, dropping just one spot in ESPN’s SP+ rankings after the loss to Iowa:",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Boise State beats Western Michigan 32-7 behind Madsen’s 3 TD passes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/boise-state-beats-western-michigan-32-7-behind-madsens-3-td-passes",
        "published": "2026-09-26T23:14:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Michigan football vs Iowa grades: Lots of blame to go around",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/michigan-football-vs-iowa-grades-lots-of-blame-to-go-around",
        "published": "2026-09-27T01:47:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}