Both the Michigan Wolverines and Texas Longhorns' football programs have fallen on hard times as of late, but there's light peeking through the clouds for both storied teams as we head into the 2015 college football season. With that being said, we thought now would be a good time to ask the question as to which of these two perennial juggernauts will be ready to contend sooner.
Verdict For Michigan
Has a college football program ever enacted a 12-month turnaround quite like the Wolverines have? This time last year, Michigan was trudging into the final year of the Brady Hoke era with the sneaking suspicion that there was a major reboot in the near future.
That reboot happened after an agonizing week-after-week Brady Hoke hot seat watch that looked a lot like ritual career execution.
However, fast forward to now and you have the game's most charismatic coach (Jim Harbaugh) basically picking and choosing blue-chip prospects at will en route to building a top-ten recruiting class for 2016. In addition, you have a football program whose swagger level has returned to that of its heyday.
If Michigan improves in the slightest this year, Harbaugh's brand will gain EVEN MORE momentum. Get that ball rolling and Michigan will be more than back. They'll be a quick-rebuild championship contender.
Verdict For Texas
The Longhorns' trump card has been and will always be their marketability and proximity to the Texas prep football pipeline. Florida is the Lone Star State's closest competition when it comes to churning out blue-chip recruits, but the fact remains that the Horns usually get first crack at marquee Texas talent just because of who they are and where they play.
From an on-field standpoint, it's hard not to trust head coach Charlie Strong's guts and sense of direction after he basically blew up Mack Brown's assembled roster and rebuilt things last season with a eye on ethics and program cohesion. Strong hasn't lit the world on fire so far with is 2016 recruiting class, but he's got the Longhorn Network in his back pocket to woo uncommitted prospects Austin-ward with the allure of increase exposure to NFL scouts.
Verdict: Michigan
The major factor working against Texas here is a lack of institutional control. Men's athletic director Steve Patterson has hunkered over the football program in "us vs. them" mode, (allegedly) doing his best to keep football revenues away from the rest of the university when it comes to academics and other UT programs. Michigan's department is in flux itself, but there's at least enough overarching stability to give them the nod over the problems in Austin.
Yes, the Longhorns have their own television network. Yes, they're still a name program that kids around the nation want to play for. But, we remain worried that the trouble up top is going to sour Charlie Strong sooner rather than later and lead to yet another transition period for the program.
Give the edge to Jim Harbaugh and the wave of momentum he's got building behind him.
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