Previously: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver & Tight End

I'm bringing back this preview feature from before my time off; the exercise is to rank Michigan's opponents, as well as the Wolverines themselves, in each position group. This is particularly useful to do in a year when roster turnover and late-offseason changes (laaaaaaaaaaaaaate-offseason changes) are so prevalent; I'll do my best in these posts to highlight significant opt-outs, opt-ins, and the like.

I'm not gonna bother bolding starters and italicizing backups because this is the offensive line; we're only discussing starters or this would be 10,000 words. 

Tier I: Nationally Elite

the holes will continue to be depressingly large [Fuller]

1. Ohio State. The Buckeyes got a major boost, as if they needed it, when All-American junior right guard Wyatt Davis opted back into the season when the Big Ten announced they'd play. Davis, who'll likely be the first interior lineman off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft, leads a unit featuring two other returning starters: senior left tackle Thayer Munford and junior center Josh Myers, both All-Big Ten players and touted NFL prospects themselves; Myers is an All-American candidate.

How does OSU fill in the gaps? With five-stars, of course. Harry Miller, who saw time last year as a true freshman backup center, has secured the left guard position. At right tackle, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Paris Johnson Jr. are in a battle. Johnson is a true freshman, sure, but he was also the #9 player in the country and enrolled early; you're in good shape if that's the biggest question mark on your line.

This line isn't impenetrable; they allowed the #98 sack rate in the country last year. Some of that had to do with Justin Fields keeping plays alive with his legs, though, and the Buckeyes were a dominant run-blocking team. This is one of the most talented lines in the country, perhaps even the most talented.

2. Wisconsin. The entire theme of my Wisconsin HTTV preview was "it's Wisconsin" and that applies to the perennially dominant line. From that preview:

Another early entry to the NFL, center Tyler Biadasz, left yet another hole. But it’s Wisconsin. Second-team all-conference left tackle Cole Van Lanen spurned the NFL to anchor the offensive line for his senior season. Redshirt junior Logan Bruss made honorable mention All-Big Ten and can line up at either guard or tackle; classmates Kayden Lyles and Tyler Beach also have plenty of on-field experience. Five-star 2019 OL Logan Brown battled injuries in his redshirt year but has the talent to start. It looks like business as usual up front.

Yes, Wisconsin pulls in the occasional five-star OL these days, which is a terrifying thought. While the overall talent level isn't on par with OSU, their track record speaks for itself. They were nearly on OSU's level in the ground game and were the best sack-preventing line in the conference outside of MSU, which was getting the ball out as fast as humanly possible to hide a terrible line. While Wisconsin likes the quick-passing game themselves, they weren't hiding anything.

That's a major comfort for UW as they suddenly must replace not only record-setting back Jonathan Taylor but also starting quarterback Jack Coan, who underwent foot surgery after a practice injury and is out indefinitely.

[Hit THE JUMP for two good lines, two questionable ones, a chasm, and some laughs.]

Tier II: The Other Good Lines

Jalen Mayfield's return gives Michigan a top-flight tackle [Fuller]

3. Minnesota. The Gophers had the third-best run-blocking unit by line yards in the Big Ten. While they struggled at times to keep Tanner Morgan upright, giving up 30 sacks in 13 games, Minnesota actually looked to throw the ball deep. The tradeoff in the passing game was well worth it.

This is a run-blocking group first and foremost. All five starters return and they are beefy, listed at weights of 325, 325, 305, 345, and 400 pounds, going from left to right tackle. That right tackle making your eyes bug out is 6'9" Australian fascination Daniel Faalele, who improved over the second half of 2019 after struggling early, particularly in pass pro. There's a strong floor here and some pretty good upside if Faalele continues on his current progression track.

4. Michigan. Even with four starters gone, I'm confident putting the Wolverines in this tier. Jalen Mayfield could be one of the best tackles in the country and the team is confident enough in Ryan Hayes that the former is staying at right tackle while the latter mans the blind side. The projected starters on the interior line have all been on campus for multiple years and will have made it through a gauntlet of four-star recruits to earn their spots.

There'll be some dropoff from last year's excellent group; Cesar Ruiz was a first-round center who's already seeing some snaps, Mike Onwenu is the surprise star of the rookie interior line class, and Ben Bredeson played about as well as those two in 2019. With Ed Warinner in charge, though, I'm confident this year's group will be among the conference's best.

Tier III: Getting Iffy

this happened often enough for PSU to fire their position coach [Patrick Barron]

5. Penn State. The good news: the line has a lot of experience and can run block well enough for Journey Brown and Co. to put up solid numbers. The bad news: they ranked 109th in sack rate, which cost Matt Limegrover his job as OL coach.

Phil Trautwein, who coached some good lines at Boston College of all places, replaces Limegrover, which could give the group an instant lift. Senior Michal Menet is one of the better centers in the conference; this blog has consistently stressed the importance of a smart, competent center. (We've seen some things.)

Maybe Trautwein raises the consistency and pass-blocking acumen to allow the group's experience to shine. We'll have to see it first; PSU doesn't exactly have a Wisconsin track record up front lately.

6. Indiana. Two multi-year starters at center and right guard are gone to graduation. The Hoosiers lost a third starter, another longtime one at that, when tackle Coy Cronk grad-transferred to Iowa. On paper, this looks like a line that's set to struggle.

Cronk's transfer, however, may have been prompted by the rise of Matthew Bedford, who stepped in when Cronk went down with a season-ending injury and blew away any expectations of a freshman fill-in. Indiana had one of the better pass-blocking lines in the conference despite the turnover at left tackle. The rest of the projected starters on the line are in at least their fourth year on campus.

They struggled on the ground, however, and that's keeping them from moving any higher on this list. Talented RB Stevie Scott had trouble grinding out four yards per carry against decent competition, often because that grind started with contact in the backfield. He needs more help. That may come as much in the form of quarterback Michael Penix, a much greater running threat than Peyton Ramsey, as offensive line improvement.

Tier IV: No Teams Are In This Tier, It's Just Here To Display The Dropoff

It's gonna get bad!

Tier V: Hazardous

cheatin' [Barron]

7. Michigan State. I'll let BiSB lead in to this:

Michigan State’s offensive line was bad, and that was before they suffered an inordinate number of injuries for approximately the twelfth year in a row. As a result, they ranked 114th out of 130 FBS offensive lines according to Pro Football Focus. They were the only team in the country that did not have a player ranked among PFF’s 200 best offensive lineman. They couldn’t generate any push (121st in the country in line yards, 124th in Opportunity Rate), they couldn’t convert short yardage opportunities (96th in Power Success Rate) and they couldn’t keep run defenders out of the backfield (113th in stuff rate). While they allowed very few sacks, that was more a product of the offensive structure and Lewerke’s tendency, for better or worse, to get rid of the ball before the pass rush arrived.

There are a pile of bodies for the new coaching staff to pick through, which is the plus here. Most of them have been ineffective if they've played and many are also coming off injuries. They're one of the smaller lines in the conference pretty much regardless of configuration. They're likely to end up with at least one guy at tackle who should definitely be playing guard.

If this group gets up to average, it'll be a great sign for Mel Tucker's coaching staff. Chris Kapilovic transformed Colorado's terrible offensive line into a solid one in short order; it might be too much to ask him to make a similar turnaround in his first year in the Big Ten with a limited preseason.

8. Maryland. The Terps were bad on the ground (85th in line yards, 106th in stuff rate) and worse in pass pro (116th in sack rate, 121st on passing downs). They lost their two best lineman and a third who made starts at four different positions last year. They brought in a JuCo transfer to patch one spot. It looks pretty bleak.

9. Rutgers. Part of the reason Rutgers has had such abominable quarterback play over the last couple years is their complete inability to keep pass-rushers from rampaging through the backfield on any play that requires a true downfield throw. When you remove sacks, they were the fourth-worst rushing team among Power Five squads at 4.1 yards per carry, even though RB Isaih "Spellcheco" Pacheco is a legitimate Big Ten starter who can move the pile.

The line returns one starter. Better luck next year.