The Michigan Wolverines, had they not allowed a botched punt on the final play of the game to turn into a touchdown for Michigan State, would have made a New Year’s Six bowl game in the first year of the Jim Harbaugh era. The Michigan Wolverines didn’t have a great offense, and their defense got pounded by injuries as the season went on, but they still compiled a 10-3 record and crushed Florida in the Citrus Bowl, raising hopes and expectations and moving the program much closer to the standard its fans expect on an annual basis. Harbaugh is one of the game’s best coaches. Just about everyone feels he’ll lead Michigan to Big Ten and national championships if he sticks around long enough. The only question is if Michigan is already equipped to make a title run, or if 2017 will have to be the year for a true breakthrough. The hype surrounding this program is about as big as it’s ever been. Two years ago, fans just wanted the Maize and Blue to be respectable. Nowadays, it feels like the College Football Playoff or bust. What will this season bring?
Biggest Team Weakness
The Michigan Wolverines have a very strong roster, but the one position which stands out as a weakness is quarterback. Harbaugh recruited and developed Andrew Luck at Stanford. That was the player who turned Stanford from an also-ran under Harbaugh into a national powerhouse. Harbaugh is still looking for that player, and while this season could provide a pleasant surprise, the odds are that Michigan won’t get the quarterback it needs to dominate the Big Ten. John O’Korn transferred out of Houston, where Greg Ward has become a star. Wilton Speight and veteran Shane Morris are also part of the mix. Does any one player inspire supreme confidence? Morris certainly doesn’t. He could not beat out a decent but hardly great QB, Jake Rudock, for the starting nod last year. This position seems like a work in progress more than anything else.
Biggest Team Strength
Michigan’s offense might have problems, but the defense should be absolutely sensational this season. The defensive line is going to lead the charge. Chris Wormley, Taco Charlton, Ryan Glasgow, and newcomer Rashan Gary should all be able to stymie opponents’ rushing attacks and create a significant forward push on the line of scrimmage which will suffocate opposing quarterbacks and give them no sense of comfort during a game. Michigan should be able to outwork and outfight opposing offensive lines, enabling a highly competent back seven to get many chances to snare interceptions and register tackles for loss.
Schedule
The big problem for the Michigan Wolverines is that last year, they had Ohio State and Michigan State at home, and went 0-2. Now they have to go on the road to Columbus and East Lansing. It will be extremely difficult to win both games, and it will be fairly hard to even win one. The good news is that Michigan State lost their seasoned quarterback, Connor Cook, which means they’re going to be vulnerable as they rebuilding their offense. And Ohio State lost a ton of talent to the NFL, so they have some questions to answer themselves. Even so, if Michigan can win just one of those two games, it will have done well this season – it will also put itself in position to make a top bowl game and – with a break or two – win the Big Ten.
Outlook
It’s highly unlikely that if Michigan loses to Ohio State, the Michigan Wolverines can still win the division. Maybe Michigan State will upset Ohio State and create a three-way tie the Wolverines can win. Maybe Ohio State will stub its toe against a team no one expects to pull off an upset. Simply being realistic, Michigan has to win in Columbus to win the Big Ten, and that’s just not going to happen this year. There’s a lot of hype around this team and while they should be very good in the second year of the Jim Harbaugh era, they’re not seasoned enough to trust to get the job done. They’ll do well but they won’t be perfect.
Projection: 2nd in Big Ten East
