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Athlon Sports tabs two B1G teams for top five in preseason top 25
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Well, not everyone thinks Michigan is worthy of the B1G’s top preseason spot.
Unlike Fox and ESPN, Athlon Sports did not tab the Wolverines above the rest of the B1G in its preseason top 25. Athlon still had Michigan in its top five, but it had one B1G team slotted above the Wolverines.
That spot belonged to the team that won 42-13 in Ann Arbor last year.
Yes, Athlon Sports put Ohio State at No. 3 — two spots ahead of Michigan — in its preseason poll. That high preseason ranking came despite the fact that the Buckeyes return fewer starters than any other Power Five team.
Athlon even had OSU ahead of reigning national runner-up Clemson, which returns Heisman Trophy candidate Deshaun Watson. The ACC and B1G both had multiple teams in its preseason top 25.
That, however, was the only B1G surprise. Athlon had Michigan State and Iowa at No. 13 and No. 20, respectively.
Here’s Athlon’s complete top 25:
- Alabama
- Florida State
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Washington
- Stanford
- Michigan State
- Baylor
- UCLA
- Houston
- Georgia
- TCU
- Louisville
- Iowa
- Florida
- North Carolina
- USC
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
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.