COLUMBUS, Ohio — It hasn’t taken long for the hype to build for Michigan as it spends its second straight offseason in the spotlight thanks to Jim Harbaugh.
But with J.T. Barrett returning for his third season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, the road to the Big Ten title—and in effect, the College Football Playoff—will once again run through Columbus.
Yet, as preseason polls have begun to pop up with fewer than four months to go until the start of the 2016 season, the Wolverines have found themselves a popular prediction to crash the College Football Playoff—an even trendier pick than their archrival Buckeyes.
The logic? After a 10-3 debut season under Harbaugh, Michigan not only appears to be ahead of schedule, but it returns several key pieces—and 2017 NFL draft prospects—on both sides of the ball.
“In between his Twitter wars with other coaches, recruiting extravaganzas and spring break trips, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is quickly building a playoff contender,” ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach wrote in this week’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25,” which ranked the Wolverines third.
Approximately 190 miles south of Ann Arbor, Ohio State can’t claim the same carryover and consistency the Wolverines are about to enjoy—not with what the Buckeyes saw walk out the door during last month’s NFL draft. Altogether, Urban Meyer finds himself replacing 16 starters, including 12 NFL draft picks and five first-rounders in a crop of players…
Continue Reading: Why J.T. Barrett Makes Ohio State the Big Ten Favorite in 2016
