Big Ten football standings: Will Michigan win fourth in a row?
Debate about the starting quarterback candidates for Michigan’s football team in the podcast “Hail Yes!”
Michigan football will have a new starting quarterback, but will it be Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle or Davis Warren? The Hail Yes! show discusses that and more, May 22, 2024. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Before anyone in the Ann Arbor area gets too offended by what they are about to read, I need to establish my credibility.
That’s right: Last summer, I was bold enough to predict that the Michigan football team would win the college football playoffs in January.
Lucky tip? Probably.
But there was a logic behind this luck: It really seemed as if the Wolverines had everything they needed to win the title.
Jim Harbaugh entered a season with a potential top-10 NFL draft pick at quarterback, the best offensive line in the country two years in a row, a unanimous All-American running back, a pair of experienced senior wideouts, the program’s most talented tight end since Jake Butt and a defense widely expected to be among the best in the country.
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And if that wasn’t enough reason for optimism, there was a non-conference schedule with three small opponents, an October full of mediocre league opponents and finally the only three important games of the regular season: at Penn State, at Maryland and at home against Ohio State.
In short, last season seemed to be the perfect climax for the Wolverines, where they forged their identity and became the buzzsaw that defeated three top-five opponents (Ohio State, Alabama and Washington) en route to the CFP title.
The parade was cold, but long overdue for fans of the maize and blue, and the best team in the program’s history capped off its history-making season by sending a record 18 players to the NFL Combine and 13 players to the NFL Draft itself.
Those two numbers are a big reason why I’m pissing off some Michigan fans right now: I don’t think UM will repeat its title for the fourth year.
It just doesn’t fit in the same direction.
First of all (pun intended), Michigan lost 16 players from last year’s roster – 10 of them on offense.
And then there’s the coaching staff. Six new employees have taken over the offices in Schembechler Hall after Harbaugh poached the entire defensive staff to bring them to the Los Angeles Chargers. Five other coaches have moved on to other roles since last season, including head coach Sherrone Moore. The only full-time coach who hasn’t changed positions is wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy.
In addition to a multitude of new voices and ideas, there are questions about the offense – especially the quarterback.
Will UM go with Alex Orji, the dual-threat option with high potential? Or seventh-year quarterback Jack Tuttle, who is more of a pocket passer but has enough mobility to extend plays with his legs and brings plenty of college experience? How will the new offensive line — which lost its top six options last year — fit together? Will running back Donovan Edwards return to his 2022 form? Is there a true No. 1 receiver on the roster?
At least on defense, there seems to be little doubt. Cornerback Will Johnson may be the best player in the nation. If not, it’s because defensive tackle Mason Graham stole the title from him. Likewise, Graham, a projected first-round pick, may be the only defensive tackle in the Big Ten (and perhaps the nation) better than his eventual partner, Kenneth Grant.
Those three lead my All-Big Ten team, with tight end Colston Loveland and offensive lineman Josh Priebe, a transfer from Northwestern, making waves on offense.
That’s five standouts in the conference, which is pretty good. But there’s a team with more All-Big Ten potential, and that’s why I’m not picking Michigan as the overall winner: State of Ohio.
I have eight Buckeyes on my All-Big Ten team, which seemed ridiculous until I looked at the names. OSU has signed possibly the two best transfer players in the country for their positions: running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and cornerback Caleb Downs (Alabama). They also signed the country’s top-rated freshman receiver in Jeremiah Smith. There are also a number of familiar names: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, cornerback Denzel Burke and defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau.
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Oh, and remember that thing about the favorable schedule from last year? Before the annual rivalry with Ohio State (one of two protected matchups each year, along with Michigan State), the Wolverines will face three of the four new teams in the Big Ten this year: USC (Sept. 21) in Ann Arbor, Washington (Oct. 5) on the road and Oregon (Nov. 2) in the Big House.
It’s actually the last team, the Ducks, that’s causing problems. Nike founder Phil Knight, an Oregon graduate and already a more than generous sports fan, reportedly said he’d give his alma mater “unlimited NIL” to get the players needed to win a national championship.
The Ducks may not have signed them all this year, but signing Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma as their starting quarterback and Dante Moore – former Detroit Kings star and top-ranked player in their 2022 recruiting class – from UCLA as their backup QB is a fantastic start.
Michigan should continue to be fantastic. Any chance UM wins the Big Ten again? Absolutely.
And how about a national championship? That’s not out of the question, either, especially as we all try to figure out what a 12-team playoff means.
But there are certainly more questions for the Wolverines now than there were this time last year, meaning they have more to prove even though they have gone nearly 570 days undefeated.
“Unproven” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad,” and only time will tell if Michigan can set a program record with a fourth consecutive Big Ten title.
Tony Garcia’s predicted Big Ten ranking
1. State of Ohio.
2.Oregon.
3.Michigan.
4. Penn State.
5.Iowa.
6.USC.
7.Wisconsin.
8.Rutgers.
9.Washington.
10.Nebraska.
11.Maryland.
12. State of Michigan.
13.Minnesota.
14. Northwest.
15.Indiana.
16. University of California.
17.Illinois.
18.Purdue.
All-Big Ten preseason team
offense
QB: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon.
RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State.
RB: Kyle Monangai, Rutgers.
WR: Tez Johnson, Oregon.
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State.
TE: Colston Loveland, Michigan.
OIL: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota.
OIL: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State.
OIL: ^ “Logan Jones, Iowa”.
OIL: Josh Priebe, Michigan.
OIL: Jonah Monheim, USC.
defense
DL: JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State.
DL: Mason Graham, Michigan.
DL: Kenneth Grant, Michigan.
DL: Abdul Carter, Penn State.
LB: Jay Higgins, Iowa.
LB: Nick Jackson, Iowa.
LB: Xander Mueller, Northwestern.
Database: Will Johnson, Michigan.
Database: Caleb Downs, Ohio State.
Database: Sebastian Castro, Iowa.
Database: Denzel Burke, Ohio State.
P: Ryan Eckley, Michigan State.
K: Dragan Keisch, Minnesota.
General purpose: Zachariah Branch, USC.
Superlative
Coach of the Year: Ryan Day, Ohio State.
Player of the Year: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon.
Newcomer of the year: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State.
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