If you happen to be a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, you were probably thrilled to hear that quarterback Shea Patterson, a transfer from Ole Miss, has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. Though Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh said the starting quarterback job would not be handed to anyone, most believe the position is Patterson’s to lose heading into the 2018 season.
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In 2017, Michigan quarterbacks left much to be desired and the Wolverines’ fan base hopes Patterson will come in and lead the team to a Big Ten title and beyond. In order to reach those goals, Harbaugh has to figure out a way to beat Michigan State and Ohio State, two teams who are ranked comfortably ahead of the Wolverines in the latest Top 25 rankings put out by CBS Sports.
According to CBS Sports, Michigan State comes in at No. 5 in the rankings, one spot below Ohio State. The rationale for MSU’s ranking is that the Spartans have both their starting quarterback and starting running back returning.
“If it’s not Ohio State in the East, it’s got to be the Spartans. Mark Dantonio gets back sneaky-good quarterback Brian Lewerke and tailback LJ Scott. Ohio State and Michigan have to come to East Lansing.”
As far as Michigan goes, even with Patterson being ruled eligible for the 2018 campaign, they are only ranked No. 15 in the rankings. CBS Sports believes the Wolverines will have a tough go because of their very difficult schedule.
“Last week, Jim Harbaugh got the best off-season news he could imagine. The NCAA ruled quarterback Shea Patterson eligible. That would seem to indicate Michigan is going to be competitive in the ultra-tough Big Ten East. Now the hard part — playing Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame on the road. Wisconsin is the West Division crossover.”
Nation, what do you think, will Jim Harbaugh finally beat both Michigan State and Ohio State in the same year or will it be another season of disappointing losses to his biggest rivals?
