Are We Entering the Greatest Era of Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry?

While the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is full of legendary players, Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer could be lifting the level of combined talent to a new standard.

The "Ten Year War" will remain the most intense portion of the historic series. Bo Schembechler's arrival in Ann Arbor only fueled Woody Hayes' disdain for "that team up north," and both teams were basically as dominant as possible.

During the 10-year stretch from 1969-78, Michigan's combined record prior to "The Game" (always the last regular-season contest) was 91-5-2, while Ohio State sported an 82-9-2 mark. Because of the increased competition in the Big Ten since then, though, there will never be that type of two-team dominance over a decade again.

But the storied era also included the best collection of talent at the programs during any point of the rivalry.

Harbaugh and Meyer, however, are capable of challenging that notion if both coaches stay at this level for another decade.

"The only thing, I think, that could cut this short is the coaches themselves," said New York Times best-selling author John U. Bacon. "Meyer could step down before they have 10 years going against each other—how many coaches put in 15 years at one school anymore?—and NFL reporters claim just about every week that Harbaugh is headed back to the league.

"But I don't think so. Meyer seems as healthy as he's been as a head coach, and every time I see him, he's having a hell of a good time. For his part, Harbaugh seems like he's in heaven. So I'm guessing this is on, and will be for years to come."

Tim May, a longtime sportswriter at the Columbus Dispatch, shares that sentiment.

"If you could assure me Harbaugh and Meyer both will be at their respective schools 10 years from now, I would say yes, this has all the makings of being a great decade for The Game," May said. "And the reason is obvious: Both coaches recruit like maniacs, just as Woody and Bo did."

With Meyer at the helm, Ohio State has never finished below eighth in a Scout team ranking or seventh in the 247Sports composite rankings. Plus the 2017 haul is absolutely loaded, already containing five 5-stars and nine 4-stars.

Michigan secured Scout's seventh-best class during Harbaugh's first full cycle and is positioned in the top 10 for 2017. That standing should rise when several blue-chip prospects choose their schools, which is a recurring theme with both the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

"All you have to do is look at the ranking of the prospects they are bringing to see why these programs are going [to] be at or near the top for years to come," May said.

Recruiting success is essential, and player development is also a significant piece of the talent equation. Only Nick Saban and Alabama can match the ability of Harbaugh and Meyer to mold recruits, and the process eventually culminates in NFL prospects.

Winning games—not preparing players for the pros—is the top priority in college. Yet the product of winning is often NFL draft picks. They aren't a perfect measure, but those selections are generally indicative of top-end talent on a given roster.

For example, May said the Ten Year War reached its height during the 1972-75 epoch. And beginning in 1972, both Michigan and Ohio State recorded a four-year rolling average of at least six selections per draft until 1979.

No other time in the rivalry included as much NFL-bound talent. Ohio State surged in the early 2000s, but Michigan didn't match the output. There's a shift already happening now, though.

In 2016, Ohio State had 12 players chosen in the first four rounds of the draft. FiveThirtyEight dubbed the group the most impressive class in modern history and second-best ever. Michigan has a chance to match that volume in 2017.

Jourdan Lewis, Jake Butt, Chris Wormley, Erik Magnuson, Taco Charlton, Channing Stribling, Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh should each be selected. Jabrill Peppers will be a first-round pick if he declares early, and Mason Cole could skip his senior season. The Wolverines also have a few late-round prospects.

"I don't know how many guys we'll get drafted but it'll be double digits," Harbaugh said on 'Inside Michigan Football' in October, according to Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.

CBS draft analyst Dane Brugler agrees:

The Buckeyes, depending on underclassmen who declare, should follow up the historic class with at least a handful of draftees. Notable possibilities include Gareon Conley, Malik Hooker, Raekwon McMillan, J.T. Barrett and Pat Elflein.

As a result, the data lines in the accompanying graph tracking are poised to surge for both Michigan and Ohio State.

Sustaining that success will not be easily done, but it all circles back to identifying, persuading and signing the best prospects—and it's tough to beat Harbaugh and Meyer in that regard.

"They might be the two best [recruiters] in the country, since drawing Southern players to the northern cold is a lot harder than Saban's task," Bacon said.

Meyer has sustained excellence on the recruiting trail, and Harbaugh has done a terrific job since returning to the college level. The talent level at the programs should only continue to rise.

Combine that with top-notch player development and "similarly sky-high levels of intensity," Bacon said, "and this could be the start of a historic run."

Harbaugh and Meyer brought a renewed spark to The Game. And as long as both coaches remain in Ann Arbor and Columbus, we could be witnessing a landmark era in the rivalry full of elite talent.

All recruiting information via Scout. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.