Expert rates Michigan Football’s talent as national-title worthy

The blue-chip ratio is a measurement of teams with enough talent to win the college football national title and Michigan football is on the list again. 

Even though some Michigan football fans are worried about recruiting right now, the truth is the Wolverines have recruited pretty well over the years and the blue-chip ratio put out yearly by Bud Elliott of 247 sports is a testament to that.

The blue-chip ratio refers to the percentage of four and five-star recruits on your roster. This is according to the 247 sports composite rankings and so for instance, if your team signed a class of 20 recruits total and 16 were four or five-stars, then the blue-chip percentage is 75 percent.

Elliott believes that a team needs over 50 percent to win the national championship. Teams like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and the like are up in the 70 percent and only getting stronger. Elliott actually reported this was the first time five programs had a ratio of higher than 70 percent.

This year’s blue-chip ratio was released this week and features 15 teams total, one of which is Michigan football.

Michigan has the talent to win it all

The Wolverines are one of the three Big Ten teams to make it. Ohio State is first in the Big Ten (80 percent) and trails only Alabama (89) percent in the blue-chip ratio. Georgia (77 percent), Oklahoma (71 percent) and Texas A&M (70 percent) round out the top five.

Michigan football is ranked 12th in the blue-chip ratio at 59 percent. The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten as Penn State is right behind in 13th. The middle tier of teams includes Texas (68), LSU (66), Clemson (63), Notre Dame (62), Florida (60), and Oregon (60). Miami (55) and Auburn (54) rounded out the top 15.

Looking at the list, it might seem difficult for Michigan to win the national title as other programs are clearly more talented. But transcendent quarterbacks have proven to be the difference. Jameis Winston led Florida State to the national title with a 53-percent ratio in 2023.

Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence also won at LSU and Clemson with teams that were under 70 percent for the blue-chip ratio, so it’s possible but you need a No. 1 overall type of QB.

Call me crazy but Michigan football could have that in J.J. McCarthy. He might not be fully unleashed until 2023 but the Wolverines should be among the blue-chip ratio’s top 15 teams in 2023 too and if McCarthy takes that next leap to elite, you never know what could happen.