CHICAGO — A new season of college football means a new season of Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines.

However, it’s certainly a different team from the one Harbaugh fielded last year.

Michigan’s three leading receivers — Amara Darboh, Jake Butt, and Jehu Chesson — are now in the NFL, while leading rusher De’Veon Smith is gone as well.

The same thing happened on the other side of the ball.

Defensive leaders Jabrill Peppers, Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton, and Ben Gedeon are no longer on the team, also going to play at the next level.

The new Wolverine team will have to learn quickly, because they face Florida Week 1, which appears to be one of the best matchups of the opening weekend.

Even though the squad is young, Harbaugh thinks the players will be motivated. Michigan lost three of its last four games of the season in 2016 by a total of 5 points, showing how much potential it had to go all the way.

But instead, it has unfinished business on the field.

“Lost three out of the last four games, OK, good,” Harbaugh said. “Maybe that will motivate us to put more into it. Coach better, play better, train harder. Put more of our heart into each and every one of those ball games.”

Being P.J. Fleck

It’s a new era for the Minnesota football program, as P.J. Fleck begins his career as a Big Ten head coach.

The former NFL wide receiver is coming off a season in which he led Western Michigan to an undefeated regular season and a 13-1 overall record that culminated with a Cotton Bowl appearance against Wisconsin.

Now, he’ll inherit Tracy Claerys’ Gopher team that finished with a 9-4 record, including a 5-4 mark in conference play.

Minnesota hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 1967, but it has been relatively consistent in reaching bowl games in recent years, including wins in 2015 and 2016.

While they’ve been solid, the Gophers haven’t had a 10-victory season since 2003. With his motto of “Row the Boat,” that’s something Fleck wants to change.

“It’s a wonderful challenge here at the University of Minnesota — one we look forward to attacking as we go forward,” Fleck said. “We’re not shying away from what we haven’t necessarily accomplished in terms of championship feel of 50 years without a championship, but we want to be that bridge. We want to be that bridge that connects the past with the present and also the future moving forward.”

Big Tan on campus

Nebraska doesn’t have a quarterback who has played a down as a Husker, and it won’t until Tanner Lee starts under center on Sept. 2 against Arkansas State.

A transfer from Tulane, Lee is set to be the first quarterback of the post-Tommy Armstrong Jr. era.

While sitting out for the 2016 season because of NCAA transfer guidelines, Lee made his presence felt on the practice field by earning Scout Team Offensive MVP honors.

There’s been hype around Lee for quite some time now. In his short time in Lincoln, he’s earned the respect of his coaches and teammates in an impressive way.