Preseason football magazines not super high on Michigan or Michigan State

The college football preseason magazines have hit the newsstands and Street & Smith and Athlon Sports are giving the Big Ten a lot of love. Well, at least for Ohio State and Penn State. The same can’t be said for Michigan and Michigan State.

Street & Smith has Ohio State and Penn State making the College Football Playoff with No. 2 Ohio State defeating No. 3 Alabama in one national semifinal and No. 1 Clemson defeating No. 4 Penn State in the other, with Clemson going on to win the national championship.

Athlon also has Clemson (No. 1), Alabama (No. 2) and Ohio State (No. 3) making the CFP but has taken Oklahoma at No. 4 over Penn State, which is ranked No. 5. Clemson is also the choice to win the national title.

Street & Smith has Michigan No. 14 nationally and MSU fifth in the Big Ten East behind the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Michigan and Indiana. It has Notre Dame ranked No. 11, just behind defending national champion LSU, putting former Ann Arbor Skyline defensive lineman and Notre Dame senior Daelin Hayes as a second-team All-American.

Athlon has Iowa senior offensive lineman Alaric Jackson (Detroit Renaissance) as a second-team All-American and Michigan junior defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (Dearborn Divine Child) as a third-team All-American.

Athlon has Michigan at No. 15; MSU is 50th nationally and fifth in the East behind Indiana. Notre Dame is ranked No. 9, again just one place behind LSU.

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Street & Smith has Jim Harbaugh at the No. 5 in its “Coaches on the Spot” category, saying: “Michigan is 47-18 the last five years, but Harbaugh’s struggles against top-10 opponents and the 0-5 record against Ohio State stick out more than the improvements he has made to the program.”

The coaches ahead of Harbaugh: 1. Clay Helton of USC, 2. Tom Herman of Texas, 3. Scott Frost of Nebraska and 4. Chip Kelly of UCLA.

Street & Smith has Michigan facing LSU in the Citrus Bowl and MSU taking on TCU in the Cheez-It Bowl. It also has Central Michigan winning the MAC West and playing Louisiana in the Camellia Bowl.

Athlon has Michigan playing Tennessee in the Outback Bowl and MSU facing CMU in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Street & Smith’s top five for the Heisman Trophy are Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger and Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard. Lawrence is also Athlon’s frontrunner.

Ohio State has three players in Athlon’s top 20 players with Alabama showcasing five. Athlon actually has a Top 50 list of players with Fields ranking No. 2, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons at No. 6 and Purdue receiver Rondale Moore at No. 11.

Michigan and MSU are shut out from the Top 50 with Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book at No. 24 and Minnesota – which is ranked No. 20 – placing quarterback Tanner Morgan at No. 28 and receiver Rashod Bateman at 29. Bateman is a second-team All-American, according to Street & Smith.

Street & Smith has Ferris State ranked No. 4 thanks to the addition of junior college quarterback David McCullum, who was a Detroit News first-team Division 1-2 all-state selection at athlete after throwing for 2,671 yards and 31 TDs for Waterford Mott in his senior season in 2017.

Street & Smith’s Preps edition has West Bloomfield running back Donovan Edwards as a first-team All-American, Belleville defensive lineman Damon Payne a second-team All-American, and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Tommy Doman a second-team kicker/punter.