Michigan football enters the 2023 season ranked No. 2 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. But that doesn’t mean everyone is a believer.
With the 2023 season just over a week away, CBS Sports put together a panel of seven writers to predict who would win the Big Ten. Perhaps surprisingly (and perhaps not), it’s Ohio State who has more votes than the Wolverines in the seven-person poll.
Here is who voted and who they voted for:
Dennis Dodd: Michigan Wolverines
Tom Fornelli: Michigan Wolverines
Chip Patterson: Ohio State Buckeyes
Barrett Sallee: Ohio State Buckeyes
Shehan Jeyarajah: Ohio State Buckeyes
Jerry Palm: Michigan Wolverines
David Cobb: Ohio State Buckeyes
Of those who predicted OSU, three of the four had the maize and blue finishing in second place. The lone holdout is Barrett Sallee, who often appears to diminish the Wolverines’ accomplishments both in writing as well as on SiriusXM on his Sunday morning show.
To us, sure, OSU is an understandable pick given the supremacy of the Buckeyes over the past several decades. However, given the quarterback controversy in Columbus mixed with an offensive line that doesn’t appear to be at the same caliber as it’s been in recent memory, it wouldn’t be a surprise if OSU took a small step back this year. Meanwhile, Michigan returns the bulk of its 2022 roster and is predicted to have the most NFL draft picks in history, according to ESPN.
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