Big Ten Preseason Poll offers a healthy dose of skepticism for Michigan football

It's finally going to be the Big Ten's turn to talk at Media Days this week. For Michigan football, that means hitting the podium on Thursday.

The Wolverines have a new head coach, so there will be plenty of buzz about Kyle Whittingham and his first-ever trip to Big Ten Media Days. He's experienced at this sort of thing, but Michigan fans and the Big Ten media will be excited to hear from him, nevertheless.

Going along with the Big Ten Media Days is the annual preseason poll put out by Cleveland.com. Ohio State was predicted to win the Big Ten, something the Buckeyes haven't done since 2020. Oregon was picked second, followed by Indiana, USC, and Michigan.

Michigan's Big Ten preseason ranking makes sense for now

That's a fair ranking. The Wolverines certainly don't belong among the top three teams, at least not yet. And USC whipped Michigan football in Los Angeles last season, and Lincoln Riley has finally seemed to figure out the Big Ten.

The predictions for Michigan football this season have been all over the map. Some have the Wolveriners winning eight or nine games, while one college football expert predicted that the Wolverines would win just seven games this season.

That would be a horrific start to the Kyle Whittingham era, but with Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State on the schedule, it's not that far-fetched. Michigan does get OU, Indiana, Penn State, and Iowa at home, so the Wolverines might need a perfect season in the Big House in order to reach the College Football Playoff.

Of course, the biggest X-factor this season for Michigan, in terms of wins and losses, is going to be the play of Bryce Underwood. Many seem to be writing him off before the season starts, forgetting that Dante Moore had some first-year struggles before developing into a potential No. 1 pick.

Underwood won't get the chance to sit in his second season of college football as Moore did, but Bryce got plenty of on-the-job training. He will also have a dedicated quarterbacks coach this season,

There are other X-factors, too. However, if Underwood can take a step forward this season, a completely reasonable expectation, the Wolverines' offense should be unrecognizable compared to last season, and if that's the case, Michigan can easily exceed the expectation of being the fifth-best team in the Big Ten.

Michigan has a great roster. Now, it has a great head coach again. The results should speak for themselves.

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