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Michigan football ranked behind Ohio State in ESPN’s 2023 preseason poll

The 2022 season just came to a close, and the Wolverines are already being disrespected by national media.

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Michigan Wolverines linebacker Taylor Upshaw (91) celebrates his interception against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022.

Last night, the 2022-23 college football season officially ended with No. 1 Georgia’s 65-7 win over No. 3 TCU in the National Championship game. With the 2022 season in the books, many — including ESPN — are already preparing for the 2023 season. When ESPN’s preseason poll was released, there was one major flaw: Ohio State is ahead of Michigan football.

ESPN’s top-5 heading into 2023

Here are the top-5 teams in ESPN’s initial preseason poll:

    1. Georgia (15-0 in 2022)
    2. Ohio State (11-2 in 2022)
    3. Michigan (13-1 in 2022)
    4. Florida State (10-3 in 2022)
    5. Alabama (11-2 in 2022)

As you can see, aside from the Georgia Bulldogs being No. 1, this poll looks kind of odd. The first thing that appears to stick out is Florida State being ranked in the top-5 after a narrow Cheez-It Bowl win over 6-7 Oklahoma in December of last year. That being said, FSU could be a threat, so you never know.

When taking a closer look, and even more egregious mistake appears: Ohio State is ranked ahead of Michigan football. Why? We could not tell you, and frankly, I doubt ESPN could explain it either.

U-M has sustained success against the Buckeyes this decade.

First of all, Michigan has a case to be the nation’s No. 2 team heading into 2023. Before last night, I thought U-M might have a case for No. 1; however, Georgia’s 65-7 National Championship win has completely changed my mind – I’d be happy with No. 2 if UGA is No. 1. That being said, there is zero reason for the Wolverines to be behind Ohio State to open 2023.

Over the past two years, one thing has become clear: Michigan football is just better than Ohio State right now. Not only have the Wolverines beaten the Buckeyes twice in a row, but frankly, neither game was even all that close. In 2021, No. 2 Ohio State headed to Ann Arbor to face No. 5 Michigan and lost by 15 points. After Ohio State’s 42-27 loss in 2021, most thought that OSU would come back with a vengeance in 2022.

After starting the season with an 11-0 record and a No. 2 ranking, Ohio State’s success was short-lived against the Wolverines. Not only did Ohio State lose ‘The Game’ for the second-straight year, but the score was even more lopsided despite the game being played in Columbus. Michigan’s 45-23 victory over Ohio State sent the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship game with a 12-0 record — the program’s first 12-0 start since 1997.

The last time Ohio State beat Michigan was in 2019 when Justin Fields was under center. This decade, the Buckeyes are winless (0-2) against Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan football should be favored to win the Big Ten

The last two seasons of Michigan football have taught us a lot, but most importantly, it is that the Wolverines finally made the jump. Since Jim Harbaugh was hired in late-2014, Michigan has won 10-or-more games in five of its seven full seasons. In four of Michigan’s five 10-win seasons, the Wolverines were competing for a CFP berth and Big Ten Championship heading into the Ohio State game.

Michigan football is now 2-2 in Big Ten East Title-deciding games — its two losses were in 2016 and 2018, and its two wins came in 2021 and 2022. With Michigan’s two wins over Ohio State came two blowout wins in the Big Ten Championship game and CFP berths.

Heading into the 2023 season, Michigan football is absolutely loaded across the board. While U-M is losing some key contributors from the 2022 squad, it is bringing in some solid freshman talent as well as seven game-ready transfers via the No. 4 transfer class in the nation. If that wasn’t enough, Michigan football will likely retain both coordinators, its head coach, and many of its stars from last season.

Yesterday, Michigan’s Heisman-contending running back — Blake Corum — announced that he will be staying in Ann Arbor for one final season in the Maize and Blue. This means that on top of the Wolverines’ incredible offensive line, Michigan football brings back Blake Corum (RB), Donovan Edwards (RB), and JJ McCarthy (QB). The Wolverines’ offense is going to be scary good next fall, which is a dangerous thing to pair with an elite-level defense.

As we turn our attention to 2023, one thing has become apparent: despite Michigan’s two-straight wins over Ohio State, two-straight Big Ten Championships, and two-straight CFP berths, the Wolverines will still be disrespected by the national media. If Michigan football wants to prove that it belongs, it will need to beat Ohio State for a third-straight year. This time, U-M gets the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor.

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Latest buzz on impressive Michigan football freshman wide receivers

Here is the latest buzz from Schembechler Hall regarding a few rising stars — these Michigan football freshman wideouts are impressive!

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Michigan football, wide receivers, Ron Bellamy, Big Ten
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Wolverines’ wide receiver corps is led by Roman Wilson — the NCAA’s leader in touchdown catches (6) — and Cornelius Johnson. That said, below these two talented veterans are a number of impressive Michigan football freshman wideouts, who recently earned some high praise from wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy ahead of this weekend’s Big Ten conference opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-0).

Michigan football freshman wide receivers continue to impress

Unlike the previous two seasons, the Michigan football offense is really starting to air the ball out often this fall. Aside from an unimpressive game against Bowling Green, junior quarterback JJ McCarthy has been dominant this year, which is a trend he hopes to keep up during this week’s matchup against Rutgers.

Ron Bellamy gives the latest ahead of this week’s Big Ten opener

Among this year’s wide receiver corps are a number of Michigan football freshman standouts, who have been turning heads throughout fall camp and even into the first few games of the season. Yesterday, Ron Bellamy — Michigan’s WR coach — gave the latest on these rising star Wolverines.

“They’re doing well,” Ron Bellamy said of the Michigan football freshman wide receivers. “They’re doing well — you can’t treat them like freshmen. I tell them all the time, ‘Whoever we play, they’re not going to look across and say, ‘Oh, this is an 18-year-old freshman here; take it easy on him.’ No, they are going to be attacking like they would any other player.’ That has to be the mindset, and we don’t treat them like freshmen. Those guys are diligent about their craft. That’s the thing I like about them. And that’s why they’re getting opportunities. Those guys are constantly wanting to learn and making sure that they’re dialed in and detailed in everything that we do.”

Keep an eye out for these freshmen when Michigan football takes the field

Ideally, Michigan football won’t need to rely on these freshman wideouts just yet; however, if you start to see names like Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore, and others getting some notable in-game reps, don’t be too surprised. From the sound of things, it seems that the Wolverines are confident in many of these rising stars, and are looking to continue developing them into the next generation of elite offensive skill players to wear the Maize and Blue.



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Top analyst has an interesting message for Michigan football fans

Top analyst Joel Klatt has some interesting thoughts about Michigan football heading into the Wolverines’ Big Ten opener this weekend.

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Michigan football fans, Joel Klatt, Big Ten conference, Penn State, Ohio State
Sep 9, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson (1) celebrates his touchdown against the UNLV Rebels with teammates during the first half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Last weekend, the Maize and Blue won their third-straight game of the 2023 season, downing the Bowling Green State Falcons by 25 points at home. While JJ McCarthy and the offense struggled, the Wolverines are still undefeated heading into Big Ten conference play this weekend. Still, with Penn State and Ohio State playing great football right now, top college football analyst Joel Klatt has an interesting message for Michigan football fans — he thinks that folks in Ann Arbor should be “antsy” right now.

Joel Klatt has an interesting take for Michigan football fans

Sure, last weekend’s victory over Bowling Green wasn’t pretty; however, Ohio State and Penn State have both seen their fair share of struggles so far this year. In fact, even outside of the Big Ten conference, schools like Texas, Alabama, and even Georgia have not been looking like their usual selves lately. Still, Joel Klatt says that there should be some tension among the Michigan football fanbase due to recent lackluster play during the non-conference slate.

“With what’s going on in the Big Ten East, namely Penn State and Ohio State? I would feel antsy if I were you, Michigan fans,” Joel Klatt explained on his show, ‘The Joel Klatt Show.’ “The one thing that will derail your season faster than anything else is if JJ McCarthy starts to turn the ball over. That’s why I would be antsy.”

“I know you’re going to run the football fine, I really do. I’m pretty confident that the defense is going to play really well. The one unknown is how efficient can JJ (McCarthy) play? Now, he was really good a year ago until late. Obviously, the TCU game (last year’s College Football Playoff semi-final), it got a little bit loose, and guess what? They (Michigan football) lost.”

Thoughts on what Klatt said about the Wolverines heading into Big Ten conference play

Now, I am going to disagree with Joel Klatt a bit here in a few aspects. First off, Michigan football has not proven that it can run the football consistently yet, and the offensive line is yet to mesh. This idea that the rushing attack will be elite this year because it was last year is simply not true — it’s a hard thing to admit, but fans are yet to see the same bruising Wolverines that they did over the past two seasons. Not that it won’t develop, but so far, Michigan is not nearly as dominant on the ground as it was in 2021 and 2022.

Additionally, Klatt said that JJ McCarthy was good in 2022 until late in the season, which is really not that accurate. JJ McCarthy was not seen as a great quarterback until the Ohio State game hit — not to say that fans didn’t see the talent, but he struggled to really get things going consistently until the final three games of the year, including the Wolverines’ CFP loss.

Right now, Michigan football fans should not be too concerned, if you ask me. That said, as the weeks go by and the Penn State and Ohio State matchups get closer, we need to see more from the Wolverines. The fact of the matter is that, with Michigan’s schedule this year, the Maize and Blue can have many shortcomings and still begin the year 9-0 — it’s the final three games that will truly define the 2023 team, so long as they can avoid upset beforehand.


Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football coach explains what makes Rutgers’ offense dangerous

Michigan football coach Jesse Minter explains what makes Rutgers’ offense so dangerous.

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Michigan football, Jesse Minter, Rutgers, Greg Schiano
Nov 5, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Michael Barrett (23) returns an interception during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are coming to town this weekend to face off against the 2nd-ranked Wolverines for both teams’ Big Ten opener. Both Rutgers and Michigan are 3-0 right now with two of the top defenses in the nation, and on Saturday, Greg Schiano and Jim Harbaugh will clash in a Big Ten matchup for the fourth time. It’s worth noting that, while the Wolverines are undefeated against Rutgers during Harbaugh’s tenure, Schiano has always given the Maize and Blue a close game. Yesterday, second-year Michigan football coach Jesse Minter (DC) explained why the Scarlet Knights’ offense is dangerous.

Michigan football cannot afford to overlook the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are heading into Big Ten play with their heads held high, boasting a 3-0 record on the season thus far. Perhaps Rutgers’ most impressive victory in quite some time was last weekend’s blowout win over Virginia Tech, which is yet another momentum builder for Greg Schiano heading into Week 4, which will be Jim Harbaugh’s first game in the Big House in over 300 days.

Michigan football coach Jesse Minter explains why Greg Schiano & Co. are so dangerous

According to Jesse Minter, Rutgers has an offense that is physical and methodical, making them a solid Big Ten test for the Wolverines’ top-ranked defense, which recently climbed to No. 1 in the nation after a 31-6 win over Bowling Green.

“Their physicality,” Jesse Minter said yesterday, talking about Rutgers’ offense. “They play a style of football to try to control the clock, gain yards running the football, pretty safe throws in the passing game. A quarterback that adds an element in the rushing attack as well. They’re built how coach Schiano teaches and just as how I would portray probably a longtime super successful defensive coordinator, how his team would be built is how they play right now. And they play a complementary football similar to us.

“I would say where their defense is playing well, their special teams is always really good,” Minter continued. “And then they play complementary football. So even though maybe they don’t score 50, but they’re controlling the clock, they’re getting touchdowns, they’re getting the lead, they’re keeping the lead, they’re able to play pretty conservative and not put themselves in harm’s way. And that formula over the first three games, they’ve been really successful with.”

Michigan football enters this weekend’s game as a 24-point favorite over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Last year, despite being down by a field goal at halftime, the Wolverines put Rutgers to bed on the road, 52-17.



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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