No. 1: Michigan Wolverines

Gulp…what!?

To paraphrase Robert Browning, “a man’s reach should exceed his GASP.”

A woman’s reach, too, if you include Ann Arbor.

Michigan is preseason No.1 for a number of various reasons, mostly spawned out of boredom and the playful refusal to simply pencil in Clemson and\or Alabama for the top spot.

We like to prod, cajole and light fires under emerging programs we think should be on target schedule for winning the national championship.

In 2016 we touted Notre Dame and the Irish finished 4-8.

See?

Last year we identified Auburn as a breakthrough and the Tigers ended up in the Music City Bowl.

One of these years, though, we’re going guess right and get rewarded with backslaps and maybe even a ride in a convertible-top parade car.

Yet, logically and frankly, it is time for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan to step up and take some responsibility.

This is Harbaugh’s fifth season. Urban Meyer is no longer coaching at Ohio State. Harbaugh is opening up the offense to accommodate the talents of quarterback Shea Patterson.

Don Brown is still Michigan’s defense coordinator and the Wolverines get to play Iowa, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State in Ann Arbor.

If not now, when?

If not Jim, who?

Is Michigan ready: Hail yes.

It was nice to see Harbaugh embrace the expectations at Big Ten Media day this summer after his team was picked to win the conference.

“I think that’s where I would pick us,” he said.

Harbaugh has every right to be optimistic with nemesis Urban now doing studio work on Saturdays for FOX.

Jim was 0-4 against Meyer while getting outscored by 66 points (165-99).

Michigan fans have every right to be excited about Harbaugh bringing in Josh Gattis to upgrade and innovate the offense.

It’s a hard swallow for diehards of the old guard that insisted, to win Big Ten games in November, you needed to run the ball with people-movers and plow horses.

Ohio State used to think that too, under Woody Hayes, but those days are over.

USC and LSU, two programs with long histories of running tailbacks around tight ends, are fully committing to spread offenses this season.

LSU “came to Jesus” after playing pretty good defense against Alabama last year in a close-to-the-vest…and losing 29-0.

Michigan fans weren’t ready for that radical conversation when Rich Rodriguez brought his version of the spread to Ann Arbor a few years back.

Those were still the days when Nick Saban wanted to outlaw “up-tempo” offenses because he considered them a danger to the players.

Look at Alabama now?