ESPN analyst says Texas will 'thump' Michigan football
It would be easy to look at the Michigan football team and expect the Wolverines to take a step back from the 2023 national championship season.
On its face, that's not a crazy take. Michigan football is unlikely to go 15-0 again. That's pretty hard to do and the Wolverines had 13 players drafted, as well as losing head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.
However, some people are taking it a bit too far. One ESPN analyst, Peter Burns, who I honestly have never heard of before writing this, said that Michigan football was going to lose four games next season and get beat up by Texas.
"You start looking at this schedule right now,” Burns said. “Ohio State, okay, they’re not as good as Ohio State. They’re not as good as Oregon. They’re gonna get thumped by Texas when the Longhorns go up there in Week 2. This is likely a four-loss team for Michigan up there in the Big Ten."
Will Michigan football get "thumped" by Texas?
Michigan could lose four games. That's possible but I take issue with Burns saying Michigan will get "thumped" by Texas. More like the Texas offensive line is going to get thumped by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. I still don't think people fully understand how good those guys are. Derrick Moore either. He'll be talked about as a first-round pick by season's end.
The Wolverines have two NFL linebackers, four NFL defensive lineman, and the best cornerback in college football, plus another NFL guy at safety in Makari Paige. That's eight draft picks on defense and that's being conservative.
Michigan's offense will be just fine. There are questions at quarterback but the running game will be elite and the offensive line will be among the best in the Big Ten. I don't see Texas stopping the run. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Texas can win the game, but they aren't walking over the Wolverines.
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Quinn Ewers might walk out of the Big House with a win, but it's going to be a long day for the Texas quarterback either way. I also think it's way too early to declare that Ohio State and Oregon are better than Michigan. They have talent sure, but offseason titles aren't a thing (except in Columbus).