Michigan football's most recent ESPN power ranking will fire up their fans and annoy Ohio State football die-hards.

ESPN ranked Michigan football second in its college football preseason power rankings on August 16. The network predicted its best-case scenario is winning the College Football Playoff championship. The return of JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, and Donovan Edwards and a back-loaded schedule both work in Michigan football's favor in 2023.

On the other hand, ESPN predicted the worst-case scenario for head coach Jim Harbaugh's crew is a 10-2 win-loss record. One of those losses is at the expense of their hated rivals from Columbus, OH.

For their part, Ryan Day's Ohio State football ranks one spot lower than their adversaries at No. 3. They, too, have winning the national title as their best-case scenario. The biggest question mark is the defense. JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Michael Hall, Jr., Tommy Eichenberg, Lathan Ransom, and Sonny Styles must step up as their best defensive players.

Although Ohio State football has never lost more than two games in one season since Day first called the shots in 2019, a four-loss season remains a distinct possibility. ESPN predicts sub-par defense and quarterback play could become their undoing in 2023.

Michigan football has outranked Ohio State football in recent college football polls 

Surprisingly, the AP Top 25 Poll also ranked both programs the same. Day's Ohio State football fared worse in the recent The Top 25 Coaches Poll. The poll ranked them fourth and ranked Harbaugh's Michigan football program second.

Surely, Michigan football's recent dominance of Ohio State football has a lot to do with the latest college football power rankings. Urban Meyer recently chimed in and thought the former's dominance at the line of scrimmage has been the difference.

The epic rivalry between the two programs dates back 126 years. Michigan football has a 60-51-6 edge over Ohio State football heading into its highly-anticipated matchup at Michigan Stadium on November 25.

Can Jim Harbaugh's crew extend their winning streak against Ryan Day's squad? It's going to be another memorable battle in Ann Arbor, MI.