tanner morgan

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.

We start, as is tradition, with quarterback. We start there, as is tradition, with the enemy of enemies. Presumed starter is listed in bold, others are in italics.

TIER I: F*** YOU, KIRBY SMART

1. Ohio State

Justin Fields is back. Nothing else needs to be said to justify OSU's placement in a tier of their own. He's a Heisman candidate (again) and potential top-five pick after this season.

If you're searching for a glimmer of hope, the backup situation is dicey. Senior Gunner Hoak was an emergency transfer addition when he couldn't win the job at Kentucky and Ohio State needed a body at QB in 2019. Freshmen CJ Stroud and Jack Miller are talented early enrollees but both are fresh out of high school. If Fields is unavailable, the dropoff may be massive.

TIER II: ALL-CONFERENCE CONTENDERS

2. Minnesota

While Tanner Morgan is often overlooked because of Minnesota's talent at receiver, he plays his role in PJ Fleck's offense extremely well. Morgan led the Big Ten at 10.2 yards per attempt, threw 30 TDs against only seven picks, and completed two-thirds of his passes. Yes, it helps to have Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, but you still have to put those playmakers in good spots position, and Morgan tosses accurate, catchable passes at all levels. He gets Bateman back, too.

The Gophers get the slight edge over the next team on the list because they have a backup with starting experience. Before Morgan emerged last season, Zack Annexstad was the returning starter coming off a passable year given he was thrown into the fire as a freshman. Annexstad got hurt and Morgan took full control of the job, but should the starter go down, Minnesota will be in a better position than most programs to keep their offense from imploding.

3. Indiana

Based on starter talent alone, Indiana has a strong argument for the #2 spot. Michael Penix Jr. isn't a big name outside of Indiana because he's been injured for much of the last two seasons. When healthy, though, he's been electric, and he chased a solid Big Ten starter (Peyton Ramsey) out of town. Penix averaged 8.7 yards per attempt and 5.4 yards per carry (not adjusted for sacks) in 2019 but only made it through three of his six starts before succumbing to a shoulder injury.

Penix has more upside than Morgan, particularly in the running game. He's yet to prove he can produce against the upper tier of the Big Ten, though, and his injury history is concerning for a player who relies so much on his legs. While the Hoosiers have former four-star recruit Jack Tuttle as a backup, he's another transfer who's had to start fresh following a short stint at Utah.

[Hit THE JUMP for a pretty strong group of signal-callers until you reach the ass end of the conference.]