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ESPN’s top 50 players in college football features 10 from B1G
Published:
Fear not. Preseason rankings season is almost over and real football is near.
But for now, we have one more month of rankings before the real thing is underway.
ESPN rolled out its preseason College Football Rank, which paneled writers, analysts, reporters and insiders to decide the best 50 players in the country heading into 2017.
Not surprisingly, there were plenty of B1G players on that list. There were a total of 10 that made the cut (and there probably should’ve been more).
Here were those 10 B1G players:
48. Maurice Hurst, Michigan DT
46. Mike Weber, Ohio State RB
44. Justin Jackson, Northwestern RB
40. Jack Cichy, Wisconsin LB
38. Rashan Gary, Michigan DE
36. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State DE
31. Sam Hubbard, Ohio State DE
13. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State QB
10. Trace McSorley, Penn State QB
4. Saquon Barkley, Penn State RB
There were a handful of snubs. Marcus Allen, Josey Jewell, Tegray Scales, Godwin Igwebuike, Nick Bosa and Billy Price could’ve all earned spots in the top 50. Other B1G players that could’ve made the cut.
There were plenty of differences between ESPN and Sports Illustrated’s player rankings. In all likelihood, both of their lists and any other preseason ranking list will look completely different once the season starts.
One more month, you guys.
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.