Phil Steele's 2016 Returning Starters Ranking [Michigan - 5th (B1G), 65th (nationally)]
Phil Steele's Complete Breakdown of Every CFB Team's Returning Starters
Michigan comes tied for 65th nationally, and 5th in the B1G with 13 returning starters.
Other notables (nationally):
- Minnesota (T-65th)
- Oklahoma (T-65th)
- Clemson (T-81st)
- Iowa (T-81st)
- Alabama (T-98th)
- Notre Dame (T-113th)
- Michigan State (T-113th)
- Ohio State (128th - dead last)
B1G Rankings:
Edit: Sorry, I neglected to "fact-check" Steele's numbers. Michigan should have 14 total returning starters (8 on offense, 6 on defense), which would put them tied for 41st in the nation, and 3rd in the B1G. Steele probably assumed that AJ Williams was a starter, maybe?
February 17th, 2016 at 2:25 PM ^
The guy is counting and "researching" the rosters of 128 FBS teams, the sheer volume alone would probably result in a silly mistake here and there.
He most likely found the most recent depth chart for each team that Google could provide him, and then counted the starters returning based on it.
February 17th, 2016 at 2:12 PM ^
February 17th, 2016 at 2:20 PM ^
I haven't clicked yet, but did Phil Steele ever move from GeoCities to AngelFire and, if so, will I need the special glasses so as to avoid damage to my optic nerve? Asking for a friend.
*clicks*
Yeah, Rutgers and Purdue are indeed the teams to beat in each division because math. Math, people. Phil Steele's math.
Also, the national picture - look out for Kent State, guys. Charlotte and Old Dominion might be teams to watch too.
February 18th, 2016 at 12:12 PM ^
Yeah, I don't get it.
Phil publishes a data-rich magazine every year and probably does well with sales.
But either he is not making a profit (after paying so many analysts to collect and document the data) or he refuses re-invest any profits back into the business. His website has been horseshit since inception.
Also, yes, Angelfire.
February 17th, 2016 at 3:52 PM ^
February 17th, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^
February 17th, 2016 at 8:07 PM ^
That ranking looks fairly nonsensical to me.
That being said Michigan is going to be SCARY GOOD this year. O'Korn has had a full year of #HarbaughCoaching and will be in sync with the receiver corps. He knows the playbook and has had a leadership role in the scout team.
JH alluded to this sleeping giant after the Citrus Bowl win when he said we're going for it all next year. Michigan is destined to have an amazing year in 2016.
February 17th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 18th, 2016 at 10:01 AM ^
Returning players is a very predictive metric. But it should be done the way Connelly does it, not the way Steele does it. Connelly's takes account of actual production per player instead of just counting a guy, which is pretty useless because "starter" doesn't really indicate whether a player splits time 50/50 or plays every snap.
February 18th, 2016 at 10:29 AM ^
"The deadline for players to declare for the NFL draft is over, so it's time to analyze returning starters for the 2016 college football season."
He meant to say "count" returning starters.
February 18th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
Thanks Phil!