The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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tor] Greg Schiano likely being the most important hire of any team this offseason. "A lot of big‑time players are leav‑ ing, but talent is there, and I trust those coaches to develop that talent. I think they're still the favorite in the Big Ten East, ahead of Michigan and MSU." The Spartans claimed the Big Ten title this year, beating Iowa in the league's championship game, and have now won three division and two Big Ten titles in the past five years. However, MSU is also losing a lot, including its all‑time winningest quarterback Connor Cook, its top two wide receivers Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings, three starting offen‑ sive linemen (left tackle Jack Conklin declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season), a starting tight end and fullback, three starting defensive linemen, a starting linebacker and a starting cornerback. In total, 13 start‑ ers are exiting East Lansing. Michigan State has done an incred‑ ible job, rising to the top of the Big Ten under coach Mark Dantonio, and the Green and White have routinely been underestimated only to compete for the division crown year after year. But they should take a step back in 2016, before resurfacing for a champi‑ onship run in 2017. Dienhart believes 2017 is when Michigan is best poised to topple the Buckeyes and Spartans, convinced the Wolverines' question marks — a new quarterback and new starting linebackers — plus a schedule that sees U‑M go to Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State will be too much next season. "There is optimism from the results this past year, but this team has issues to deal with," he said. "You always have to look at the schedule in college football because of the disparity there, and the schedule is hard. "No doubt they're going to be bumping heads with Ohio State and competing for this East Division soon, and it could be this fall. But it might be a couple years away." Michigan fans are hopeful Dienhart is simply overlooking how quickly coach Jim Harbaugh can mold this team into a championship program. At the University of San Diego, he led the Toreros to a four‑win jump in year two. At Stanford, a one‑win increase, while with San Francisco, Harbaugh guided the 49ers to the Su‑ per Bowl in his second season. U‑M has not won in East Lansing since 2005, has not won in Iowa City since 2005 and in Columbus since 2000 so there is legitimate reason to be skeptical. However, the Maize and Blue were ahead of the curve in 2015, and they are positioned to be a stronger, more experienced team than either the Spartans or Hawkeyes next year. Michigan should go into its regu‑ lar‑season finale against rival Ohio State with a Big Ten championship berth on the line. ❏ Associate Editor Michael Spath has been with The Wolverine since 2002. Contact him at mspath@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Spath_Wolverine.