Michigan Football: Breaking Down the No. 10 Ranking in ESPN Preseason Poll

The Michigan Wolverines can't wait for this regular season to kickoff. They're coming off one of the most successful seasons in recent memory, as they finished with 11 victories and won a BCS bowl game. What makes it so exciting is that it was only Brady Hoke's first season as head coach, and he returns a lot of key players from last year.

In a poll recently released by ESPN, the Wolverines are the No. 10 team. This is the same poll that has the defending national champions No. 3 and the USC Trojans No. 1 overall. Good thing for Wolverine fans is that the Buckeyes are 10 spots below them.

So, did ESPN get it right with Michigan in the preseason poll?

Returning starters: 14

Too high?

If you're labeled a top-10 team, that means you have a good shot to compete for the national championship this season.

But what about the quarterback play of Denard Robinson? He'll likely carry this team as far as they're going to go. While we all love his athletic ability and how exciting he is to watch, he does throw a lot of interceptions (26 in the last two seasons combined). He could be the reason why Michigan wins the game, but, at times, he could be certainly the reason it loses them.

Michigan also lost a few playmakers around Robinson, including wide receiver Junior Hemingway, who was the leading receiver last season for the Wolverines. And they lost their starting tight end in Kevin Koger, who was a factor last year in the red zone and caught four touchdown passes, as well.

Who will step up and replace some of those players?

The defensive line is also an issue, as the Wolverines lost a lot of depth from a year ago. The Wolverines finished last year with 30 sacks, but they will likely enter this season with only one player who has seen significant playing time on the defensive line. Can the youngsters pick up were the veterans left off last season? In order to be a national champion, you have to be able to rush the passer consistently.

It's also going to be interesting to see who replaces center David Molk. Brady Hoke has already said he's happy with the progress the candidates are making (Ricky Barnum and Jack Miller), but it's a completely different ball game when you're out on that field. Especially when the first game is against the national champions, a team that generates a lot of pressure defensively.

Too low?

While Robinson may throw a lot of interceptions, he is a playmaker and is capable of leading his team to victories. There aren't many teams in college football that have a quarterback who is capable of completely taking over a game like Robinson is. He's also working on his footwork throughout the offseason to improve his play heading into the year. 

While Michigan may not have true playmakers at the receiver position, they do have a running back in Fitzgerald Toussaint, who really began turning it on at the end of the season. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and could emerge as one of the top backs in the country if he runs with more consistency. He's a valuable weapon next to Robinson and could create a deadly one-two combo, which could make up for some of the holes on this offense.

Defensively, they may have questions on the line, but the secondary returns every starter, which is huge considering they were ranked 16th in the country in passing yards allowed. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison did a fabulous job his first season at Michigan and should be even more successful with a year under his belt and most of the starters on their way back.

Overall

I think ESPN got this one right. Michigan is a very solid team, but it still has to show us that it is the real deal and can compete with more than just the struggling offensive Big Ten. You could make an argument that the Wolverines deserve to be ranked above Arkansas (a team going through off-the-field issues), but then we begin nitpicking.

I like this ranking for Michigan, and they'll have a chance to prove that they're better Week 1 against the Alabama Crimson Tide.