Michigan rose to No. 17 in the Coaches' Poll, but fell to No. 18 in the AP Poll. Michigan dropped out of the rankings following its loss to Notre Dame, and then stayed unranked following the bye week. Michigan re-entered the AP Poll at No. 25 following its win against Purdue, but remained unranked in the Coaches' Poll. Following its victory over Illinois, Michigan rose to No. 23 in the AP Poll and re-entered the Coaches' Poll at No. 25. Michigan rose to No. 20 in both polls following its victory over Michigan State and entered the BCS rankings at No. 22. Michigan fell out of the rankings after its loss to Nebraska, and remained unranked following its victory over Minnesota. Michigan re-entered the rankings after its overtime win against Northwestern at No. 23 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll and No. 21 in the BCS poll. After its victory over Iowa, Michigan moved up to No. 20 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls and No. 19 in the BCS Poll. Michigan fell to No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the Coaches' Poll, but remained at No. 19 in the BCS Poll after its loss to Ohio State. Michigan rose to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches' Poll after a bye week. After its loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, Michigan finished the season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll and unranked in the Coaches' Poll. *Source: ESPN.com: 2012 NCAA Football Rankings Schedule Radio Radio coverage for all games will be broadcast statewide on The Michigan Wolverines Football Network and on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. The radio announcers are Frank Beckmann with play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter with color commentary, and Doug Karsch with sideline reports. Game summaries vs. Alabama Sources: To open the season, Michigan traveled to Arlington, Texas to face the defending BCS Champion, the Alabama Crimson Tide, in the Cowboys Classic. This game was the first between the two teams since the 2000 Orange Bowl, which saw Michigan beat Alabama in overtime 35–34 after Alabama missed the tying extra point. Alabama dominated the Wolverines in the first game of the season, winning 41–14. Alabama opened the scoring and scored 21 points in the first quarter, with Michael Williams catching a two-yard touchdown pass from A. J. McCarron, DeAndrew White catching a 51-yard