Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Jim Harbaugh plan to build Michigan football back into an annual national title contender hits a roadblock this season. Or it will if the preseason college football publications are correct. Friends, countrymen, Wolverines have seen a mostly upward trajectory for Michigan football in the Harbaugh era thus far.
It will be a plateau, or most likely, perhaps a significant step down in 2017, say the preview mags.
Street & Smith’s have the Wolverines ninth nationally, and third in the B1G East. Lindy’s also has Michigan third in the East, and 14th nationally. The publication’s summation statements are spot on too-
“Michigan lost 11 NFL Draft picks. That’s a school record talent drain, and it was also more than any other college team from 2016, even Alabama (which had 10). It will be impossible to erase all the growing pains.”
“Jim Harbaugh hasn’t quite gotten the Wolverines to plug-and-play status quite yet. Next year, they’ll be fierce.”
Couldn’t agree more- last year was the chance to make a run at the national title, and Michigan football was right there in the hunt until coming up just short in what might have been the most epic Ohio State-Michigan game of all time. It truly was the de facto B1G title game last season.
Maybe 2016 was a little too soon for us to truly expect full on Harbaugh taking effect. Perhaps 2018 will be appropriate. Athlon also sees UM finishing third in the B1G East, ranking the team 10th nationally. The magazine projects Michigan to finish 10-2 overall, 7-2 in the league and to take on Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Street & Smith’s has the same exact bowl match-up projected.
In the end, all roads lead to Ann Arbor, as Michigan football will host the Buckeyes to conclude the season November 25th. Most likely, the Bucks national title hopes will hang in the balance once again in The Game.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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