Michigan football: Major ESPN analyst ranks the Wolverines No. 1

Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines are close. Just as we saw from 2015-19, Michigan football is on the doorstep of breaking through its glass ceiling; in years past, the ceiling appeared to be 10 wins and a loss to Ohio State. In 2021, the Wolverines set a new standard and proved that they are Big Ten title contenders. Now, following Michigan’s back-to-back Big Ten Championships and College Football Playoff appearances, major ESPN analyst Rece Davis thinks that Jim Harbaugh’s squad is the No. 1 team in the country right now.

Michigan football should be No. 1 according to major ESPN analyst

Rece Davis has no say in the college football rankings, though if he did, Michigan football would sit atop his rankings. He said so on the College Gameday Podcast recently:

“Michigan has a proven quarterback that I think is going to improve greatly this year,” Davis said. “They’ve got the best cornerback in America in Will Johnson. They’ve got some transfers on both lines of scrimmage, including a pass rusher, that should shore up some of the things that they’ve lost.

“They’ve done a really good job in the transfer portal the last couple of years,” Rece Davis continued, “particularly on the lines of scrimmage. They’ve got their running backs coming back, a couple of wide receivers that might even be bigger threats. A transfer tight end from Indiana, I believe. I think if I had to fill out the ballot right now based on what I know, you know, the type of production I know I’m going to get, I think I’d put Michigan No. 1.”

Wolverines pursuing first national title since 1997

Over the past two years, Michigan football has been two wins away from a national championship ring in both seasons. Following the Wolverines’ incredible 13-1 run in 2022, Jim Harbaugh and his team know that they will have their best shot at the program’s first title in nearly three decades this fall.

From offense to defense to the coaching staff, many fans have never seen a Michigan football team this loaded across the board before. Now, with the title window as big as it is ever going to get in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines need to back up Rece Davis’s expectations and prove it on the field.

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