On its bye week, Michigan got the benefit of some chaos around the country, moving up a few spots in the latest edition of ESPN’s SP+ rankings:

Michigan Football didn’t move in the latest edition of ESPN’s SP+ rankings after defeating Michigan State, 31-20, but there was a lot of movement in the Big Ten with a new team claiming the top spot:

The 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines seek their fourth straight victory with an early Saturday afternoon matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats at historic Wrigley Field.

After the unimpressive win over Purdue on Saturday, Michigan Football dropped several spots on ESPN’s FPI rankings heading into the second bye week of the year:

Michigan will hit the road next Saturday to take on coach David Braun’s Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field in Chicago, followed by a road game against marquee freshman quarterback Mailk Washington and the Maryland Terrapins before the final game vs. Ohio State.

The Michigan Wolverines (7-2) come in at No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and are 5-1 in the Big Ten Conference as they take on the Northwestern Wildcats (5-4), who can become bowl-eligible on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

ANN ARBOR — Ideally, Joe Taylor would never do the thing he loves most on a football field. The Michigan fifth-year senior is closing in on a school record that illustrates his sacrifice, selflessness and skill. During Saturday’s game against Northwestern, Taylor will almost certainly become Michigan’s all-time leader in special teams snaps.

The NCAA has placed the Michigan State football program has been placed on probation for three years after violating rules by having three ineligible players participate, per Jake Trotter of ESPN. According to Trotter, none of the three players are with the program anymore.

The football program has been placed on probation for three years, and the Spartans were forced to vacate all 14 wins from the past three seasons, ESPN reports. Per the report, Michigan State had three ineligible players on its roster under Tucker. All three players are no longer with the program, according to ESPN.