Can't Wait For Saturday | Defending champions lost key parts, but have plenty of positives on their side

Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves

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Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,

The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.

Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.

And away we go ...

7. Michigan Big Ten

What's to like?

The team has oodles of confidence after winning the national title, the program's first since 1997. While the roster has been overhauled, enough players are back that the lessons learned in 2023 will carry over. ... New coach Sherrone Moore is a smart guy with endless skill. He was going to be somebody's head coach this season. Michigan was fortunate Jim Harbaugh made the move when he did because it is doubtful Moore would have ben back as coordinator. ... Defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson are among the best at their positions in the conference. ... Donovan Edwards steps in at tailback for Blake Corum and the Wolverines won't skip a beat. If the blocking is good, Edwards could end up in the Heisman conversations. ... Veteran coordinator Wink Martindale takes over the defense and will help with a depleted unit. ... Graham and fellow tackle Kenneth Grant gives Michigan strength in the middle of the defense. ... For for first time in years, the Wolverines won't play Penn State.

Reasons to worry

The program is in transition. For all his weirdness, Harbaugh offered stability. Moore might hit some bumps during the season. ... The Wolverines are hopeful, but they don't know what they are going to get from quarterback Alex Orji. ... Orji might be scrambling a lot. All five starters are gone from the offensive line. ... The receivers are all new too. .,, Michigan has won three titles in a row. The pressure to repeat and to be Ohio State again is enormous. ... The schedule is too hard. Besides the usual game against the Buckeyes, Michigan plays Southern California and Oregon in the Big Ten. Somebody thought this was a good year to play Top 5 Texas in the nonconference. Probably Harbaugh, who is cashing big checks in Cali.

Previous

50. Maryland Big Ten

49. Colorado Big 12

48. Georgia Tech ACC

47. Tulane American

46. UCF Big 12

45. South Florida American

44. Appalachian State Sun Belt

43. Rutgers Big Ten

42. Virginia Tech ACC

41. Texas Tech Big 12

40. Liberty Conference USA

39. South Carolina SEC

38. Washington Big Ten

37. North Carolina ACC

36. Boise State Mountain West

35. Memphis American

34. Kentucky SEC

33. Nebraska Big Ten

32. Florida SEC

31. Auburn SEC

30. SMU ACC

29. Wisconsin Big Ten

28. West Virginia Big 12

27. Iowa State Big 12

26. NC State ACC

25. Iowa Big Ten

24. Arizona Big 12

23. Louisville ACC

22. Southern California Big Ten

21. Kansas State Big 12

20. Texas A&M SEC

19. Kansas Big 12

18. Miami ACC

17. Oklahoma SEC

16. Clemson ACC

15. Oklahoma State Big 12

14. Tennessee SEC

13. Utah Big 12

12. LSU SEC

11. Penn State Big Ten

10. Notre Dame Indy

9. Florida State ACC

8. Missouri SEC