Four B1G teams crack ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 for 2017

Sure, the B1G didn’t finish 2016 the way some expected. A 3-7 bowl record fell short of expectations and put a damper on a historic regular season.

But the conference could start in even better shape in 2017 than it did in 2016.

ESPN released its way-too-early top 25 after the College Football Playoff National Championship. In it, four B1G teams (Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan) made the cut. In fact, all of them were ranked in the top half of the top 25.

The B1G was actually the only conference to have four teams ranked in the top 12 of ESPN’s early rankings.

Here’s what they came up with for 2017:

1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. USC
4. Penn State
5. Clemson
6. Ohio State
7. Oklahoma State
8. Washington
9. Wisconsin
10. Oklahoma
11. Auburn
12. Michigan
13. Georgia
14. Stanford
15. LSU
16. Miami (FL)
17. Kansas State
18. Louisville
19. TCU
20. USF
21. Florida
22. Pitt
23. Washington State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Texas

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.