Jul. 29—***
Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,
The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.
Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.
And away we go …
The team has oodles of confidence after winning the national title, the program’s first since 1997. While the roster has been overhauled, enough players are back that the lessons learned in 2023 will carry over. … New coach Sherrone Moore is a smart guy with endless skill. He was going to be somebody’s head coach this season. Michigan was fortunate Jim Harbaugh made the move when he did because it is doubtful Moore would have ben back as coordinator. … Defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson are among the best at their positions in the conference. … Donovan Edwards steps in at tailback for Blake Corum and the Wolverines won’t skip a beat. If the blocking is good, Edwards could end up in the Heisman conversations. … Veteran coordinator Wink Martindale takes over the defense and will help with a depleted unit. … Graham and fellow tackle Kenneth Grant gives Michigan strength in the middle of the defense. … For for first time in years, the Wolverines won’t play Penn State.
The program is in transition. For all his weirdness, Harbaugh offered stability. Moore might hit some bumps during the season. … The Wolverines are hopeful, but they don’t know what they are going to get from quarterback Alex Orji. … Orji might be scrambling a lot. All five starters are gone from the offensive line. … The receivers are all new too. .,, Michigan has won three titles in a row. The pressure to repeat and to be Ohio State again is enormous. … The schedule is too hard. Besides the usual game against the Buckeyes, Michigan plays Southern California and Oregon in the Big Ten. Somebody thought this was a good year to play Top 5 Texas in the nonconference. Probably Harbaugh, who is cashing big checks in Cali.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain West
35. Memphis American
34. Kentucky SEC
33. Nebraska Big Ten
32. Florida SEC
31. Auburn SEC
30. SMU ACC
29. Wisconsin Big Ten
28. West Virginia Big 12
27. Iowa State Big 12
26. NC State ACC
25. Iowa Big Ten
24. Arizona Big 12
23. Louisville ACC
22. Southern California Big Ten
21. Kansas State Big 12
20. Texas A&M SEC
19. Kansas Big 12
18. Miami ACC
17. Oklahoma SEC
16. Clemson ACC
15. Oklahoma State Big 12
14. Tennessee SEC
13. Utah Big 12
12. LSU SEC
11. Penn State Big Ten
10. Notre Dame Indy
9. Florida State ACC
8. Missouri SEC
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
