Analyst says that Michigan football has closed the talent gap with Ohio State

From 2012 to 2019, it felt as if Michigan football was light years behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. In 2018 and 2019, the Wolverines appeared to be in solid shape — they entered Week 13 with a 10-1/9-2 record and were ranked in the top 10 for both matchups. That said, the Buckeyes ran away with a 62-39 victory in 2018 and a 56-27 victory in 2019; it was a low point for Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines. However, in 2021, everything changed, and the Wolverines are now looking to make it three blowout wins in a row against Ohio State during the 2023 season.

Michigan football has closed the talent gap against Ohio State Buckeyes

The rapid turnaround of Michigan football — going from 2-4 in 2020 to winning the Big Ten twice in a row in 2021 and 2022 — has been well documented and talked about quite a bit. Heading into 2023, it appears that the Maize and Blue are a legitimate threat to the national title race, though in order to get there, Michigan must knock off Ohio State once again.

According to college football analyst Aaron Murray, the Wolverines have largely closed the talent gap against the Buckeyes and could be coming for it all during the upcoming season.

“This is going to be Michigan’s best team,” college football analyst Aaron Murray said. “This has been a good team, but Ohio State has been more talented, Georgia’s been more talented, Alabama’s been more talented. They’re still going to be more talented this year, but that gap that was here has shrunken in half, if not more … (Michigan football is) more suited now than ever to actually go win a game in a playoff situation and compete for a national championship.”

As the 2023 college football season approaches, Michigan football has been ranked as the nation’s No. 2 team in most preseason rankings. The Wolverines have their best roster in decades on paper, and with a plethora of experience to pair, it seems as if Michigan is primed to make a third-straight run at the Big Ten and national titles.

Only time will tell where this year’s Wolverines will end up, but for now, the widespread belief is that Michigan football remains among the nation’s elite heading into the new season.

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