College Football: 5 reasons Michigan wins 2017 National Championship

2. Stout defensive front

One of the trademarks of a Jim Harbaugh college football team is a hard-nosed defense. On their way to the Orange Bowl last season, Michigan most certainly had that. And much of their prowess on that side of the ball started up front. The likes of Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley were fearsome for opposing offensive lines to deal with. However, the unit that Harbaugh will be unleashing in the 2017 season is even scarier.

Much of the talk about this defensive front is going to center on defensive end Rashan Gary. The No. 1 overall recruit in 2016, Gary is a physical force that looks ready to wreak havoc on college football. He saw limited action as a true freshman last year, but still made an impact when on the field. Now he’ll be deployed in a much larger role and showed this spring he’s ready for the challenge.

However, Gary isn’t the only player capable of causing destruction in the Wolverines defensive front. Maurice Hurst at defensive tackle is one of the premier players at his position in the entire country. What’s more, the likes of Chase Winovich opposite of Gary and Bryan Mone on the inside next to Hurst are no slouches either. When you have this whole unit together, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with all year long.