![]() ![]() Has Lane Kiffin finally figured out how to match his offensive acumen as a program CEO? The Rebels beat Penn State in the Peach Bowl to finish an 11-2 season, and they now have the highest-ranked transfer portal recruiting class for 2024. Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart calls a play during his team's Peach Bowl win over Penn State on Dec. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter could receive a strong look too. If Harbaugh leaves, Michigan has already shown it can win with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore at the helm. Michigan loses some key pieces from its dominant defense, but it has top talent returning at each level, including Will Johnson and defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. After three years as the nation’s top offensive line, the Wolverines will have to reload in the trenches. ![]() Tight end Colston Loveland, McCarthy’s security blanket, will be back. Rushmore figure in running back Blake Corum, but it’s possible Donovan Edwards decides to enjoy his shot as the team’s top back for the first time. McCarthy could also choose to go out a national champion and enter the NFL draft (the gut feeling here is that McCarthy knows he has more developing to do and returns to Ann Arbor to keep Michigan humming). The Wolverines enter an uneasy period now, with Harbaugh’s NFL decision looming. Michigan running back Donovan Edwards celebrates after scoring against Washington during the College Football Playoff national title game on Monday in Houston. The defense should be one of the country’s best again. ![]() The addition of star running back Quinshon Judkins from Mississippi points toward more emphasis on the running game, despite the Buckeyes’ gaggle of five-star receivers. ![]() Yet Howard does not fit the mold of Day’s previous quarterbacks at Ohio State, so it’s possible Day is going to tinker a bit with his scheme. The Buckeyes will swap out quarterback Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse, for Kansas State transfer Will Howard, a proven winner in the Big 12. Will that mounting pressure to put the Wolverines back in their place bring out the best in Ryan Day’s team? It hasn’t yet, but Ohio State did a remarkable job retaining a slough of players who had the option to go to the NFL but chose to come back for one more shot at a championship, such as wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. There is not a program in the country with more on the line in 2024 than Ohio State. Ohio State coach Ryan Day claps while his players warm up before playing Rutgers on Nov. Knowing rosters will remain in flux through the spring - particularly given the Saban and DeBoer news - I’ll be leaning toward teams with a proven quarterback and a dependable culture of winning more than going deep into the depth charts for answers. Ranking teams this early in the era of the transfer portal is a fool’s errand. Who has the best chance to dethrone Michigan in 2024, the first year of the CFP’s 12-team format? It took three years of getting to this point that formed a resolve that wouldn’t break. On the other, the Wolverines did it the hard way. On one hand, if Michigan can do it, many programs can do it. The Wolverines featured just two consensus five-star recruits, but they were a true team in every sense of the word. Combined with Saban’s decision to retire, one wouldn’t be surprised to see the balance of power shifting to a more even playing field.įor as much as it seemed significant swaths of the country were rooting against Michigan’s run, college football fans of historically relevant programs not named Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State should have been inspired by Monday night’s result. Michigan’s first national championship since 1997 strengthened the Big Ten’s muscle as a conference as it’s adding four premier West Coast brands. Read more: 'We're legends': Michigan caps undefeated season with national title triumph ® SEAHAWKS, SEAHAWKS LOGO, SPIRIT OF 12, WE ARE 12, BRING ON THE 12, LEGION OF BOOM, 12 and 12S are trademarks of the Seattle Seahawks.What programs gain from this turn of events will be the story of the offseason - perhaps even USC or UCLA could play it to their advantage in the coming weeks.įor now, one program is on top of the world - the one that beat Saban’s Tide in his last game and DeBoer’s Huskies in his last game at Washington. ![]()
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