With the start of the college football season less than three months away, ESPN released its Future Power Rankings Wednesday.
The rankings project through the next three seasons, looking at both the offensive and defensive rankings, recruiting results and new coaching hires.
In the rankings, Michigan checks in at No. 12 in the country.
“Michigan moves up five spots from its 2018 ranking, and actually could be higher because of a consistently elite defense and an offense taking the right steps,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg writes. “The forecast comes down to whether Jim Harbaugh and his team can be trusted to finally beat Ohio State, win the East division for the first time and capture the Big Ten title for the first time since 2004. On paper, Michigan looks like the league's top team in 2019.”
For Rittenberg, there’s a lot to like about the Wolverines heading into 2019.
“Quarterback Shea Patterson returns alongside a talented group of receivers and tight ends and an improving line with four returning starters,” he writes. “New coordinator Josh Gattis will push the passing game in a year in which Michigan is very thin at running back.
“The defense loses a lot in the front seven from 2018 and will lose more in the back end after 2019 (cornerback Lavert Hill, linebacker Khaleke Hudson, safety Josh Metellus). But coordinator Don Brown always finds a way, and there are high hopes for non-senior linemen Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson. Michigan also landed four-star end Braiden McGregor for the 2020 class. The personnel will be there, but Michigan is well past due for a genuine breakthrough.”
Michigan is not the highest ranked Big Ten team in these rankings. Ohio State is ranked No. 5 after falling two spots from its 2018 ranking. Other U-M 2019 opponents in the future rankings include Notre Dame at No. 6, Penn State at No. 13, Wisconsin at No. 17 and Michigan State at No. 22.
The other two Big Ten teams in the rankings are Nebraska and Northwestern at No. 23 and No. 25 respectively.
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