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Four B1G teams make ESPN’s future power rankings
Published:
It’s hard to predict what will happen this year, much less the next three years.
But ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg took a crack at doing just that.
After surveying Power Five coaches and ESPN reporters, Rittenberg ranked the top 25 teams based on how they’re set up for the next three seasons. The ranking took current players, recruiting and coaching into account.
Teams with better recruiting rankings obviously project better as contenders from 2017-19. The quarterback situation was also taken into heavy consideration. The more secure the position is in the next few years, the higher the ranking.
The final ranking included four B1G teams, all of whom ranked inside the top 12. Rittenberg put Ohio State at No. 2, Michigan at No. 6, Penn State at No. 11 and Wisconsin at No. 12.
Here’s what the top 25 looked like:
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Florida State
- Clemson
- USC
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- Washington
- Stanford
- Penn State
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma State
- Georgia
- Miami (FL)
- Auburn
- Florida
- Texas
- Virginia Tech
- TCU
- Louisville
- Oregon
- Utah
- Texas A&M
- Tennessee
Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State could all have a fair amount of underclassmen declare early for the 2018 NFL draft. The Alabamas and Florida States could also lose several key players early to the NFL.
It’ll be interesting to see how Wisconsin fares once Paul Chryst’s recruits become the core. The same can be said for Jim Harbaugh entering his third season at Michigan.
If ESPN’s ranking is accurate, the B1G balance of power won’t change a ton in the next few years.
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.