Joel Klatt names Jim Harbaugh's Michigan as top suitor for national championship amongst 10 other teams contending for the coveted title

The Michigan Wolverines have been enjoying quite the success this campaign under Jim Harbaugh, who has been the head coach of the team since 2015, and led the Wolverines to two consecutive Big Ten championships in 2021 and 2022.

So far this season, with how Michigan has been performing, it looks like the team might fulfill their hopes of three-peating the conference title and competing for the coveted national championships. The Wolverines are one of the undefeated teams heading into week 11 as they prep up to go against their division rivals the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Before the highly anticipated Big Ten East game, CFB analyst Joel Klatt recently published an article on Fox Sports about the teams that he believes showcase abilities to clinch the national championship.

In the article, Klatt categorized these 10 teams into three specific divisions. These three categories are above-the-line teams (that Klatt believes have the best chance of winning the nationals), above-the-line teams with questions and below-the-line teams.

Purdue Michigan Football

In this categorization based on the chances of these teams making it to the national championship finals, Klatt placed the undefeated Michigan Wolverines in Tier I, believing that Jim Harbaugh could be closing in on the possibility of securing his first national title as a coach of the Wolverines.

Going on to justify his statement and categorization, Klatt talked about how the Wolverines have been consistent in every game they've played so far. Apart from this, he also talked about how an important factor in this success has been their quarterback JJ McCarthy.

McCarthy, who has been a part of the team since 2021, competed for the QB1 spot with Cade McNamara last year. After starting the game against Hawaii, he went on to replace McNamara as the starter and has been QB1 ever since.

JJ McCarthy

According to Klatt, McCarthy has improved his game drastically from last year. This has been evident on the football field, where he is making fewer interceptions and taking game-changing decisions with a calm and collected mind while also showcasing his passing prowess. If Michigan continues to perform at this level, then it could be a serious contender for the coveted national title.

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Who are the other teams in Klatt's list apart from Michigan

The other teams in Joel Klatt's Tier I list are the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State, Oregon and the Alabama Crimson Tide. His category of above-the-line questions consisted of Washington, Texas and Florida State while below-the-line comprised of Penn State, Ole Miss and the Louisville Cardinals.