Pro Football Focus has always been really high on the Wolverines — at least during the past two seasons. On almost all of its top-10 lists at each position, you can find at least one Michigan player, if not two, headlining the list.
Max Chadwick ranked all 131 football teams heading into the season ($), and it’s not shocking the Wolverines found their way into his top five.
The PFF analyst has Michigan at No. 4 entering the season.
Not only is Michigan coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances, it’s also returning most of its production from last year. One of the most surprising returners was running back Blake Corum, who set the PFF record for the highest-graded season by a Power Five player in 2022 (96.2). This is the best chance Jim Harbaugh’s had to bring a national championship to Ann Arbor.
While it’s not surprising Michigan would be in the top four after making it into two straight College Football Playoff appearances, what is shocking is the Wolverines are behind Ohio State.
Chadwick has the Buckeyes at No. 3 even after the maize and blue defeated Ohio State handily the past two seasons. Ohio State is breaking in a new starting quarterback after losing CJ Stroud to the NFL draft. But Chadwick believes Ohio State has too much talent, especially at wide receiver.
Despite having to replace quarterback C.J. Stroud, Ohio State will continue to have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka aren’t just the best receiver duo in college football, they’re the two best receivers in college football. The Buckeyes also have one of the best backfields in the country with TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and Dallan Hayden in addition to a top-10 tight end in Cade Stover. As for under center, Ohio State’s new quarterback will be either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown, who each were five-star recruits in their respective classes.
It’s still hard to believe Ohio State could be ranked ahead of Michigan after losing two years in a row. The Wolverines return just about every playmaker plus their five-star quarterback that started all of last season. The maize and blue should be just as strong as they were a season ago in the trenches, which is what really dominated the Buckeyes.
But time will tell which team is better and it may come down to Nov. 25 at Michigan Stadium when the two teams square off.
Here is how PFF ranked the top 10 teams heading into the season:
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