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The 2021 college football season just ended on Monday night, and Michigan football finished in its highest spot since it won the national championship in 1997, ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25.
But how does ESPN see the 2022 season playing out?
The worldwide leader put together its too early top 25 of 2022, and put the Wolverines in at No. 5 overall.
It might have taken seven seasons, but Jim Harbaugh finally broke through what looked like a ceiling at his alma mater. The season ended with a flop, a 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl, but that won’t take away from a breakout campaign. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade, won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and reached the playoff for the first time. After there was mounting pressure to fire Harbaugh following the 2020 season, he shook up his coaching staff, and the changes paid off. First-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald did fantastic work, and he might have to do even more next season with Hutchinson and Ojabo turning pro. Identifying Haskins’ replacement and settling a quarterback battle between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy will be priorities this spring.
That said, here’s where it slates the other teams in the Big Ten, along with our commentary about why each could have success or failure this upcoming season.
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