The Michigan Wolverines return a number of key players from a club that went 12-0 last regular season, rolled over Purdue for the Big Ten Championship and reached the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season. An upset loss to TCU as a 9-point favorite in the CFP semifinals denied Jim Harbaugh and his group a chance at a national championship and was a disappointing conclusion. As good as the Wolverines were defensively last season the offense was a well-oiled machine. J.J. McCarthy is back to lead a group that averaged more than 40 points to rank sixth in the country. The defense will again be good and running the table is a distinct possibility.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Michigan Wolverines
Over 10.5 ( -137 )
Under 10.5 ( +121 )
The Wolverines turned a corner two years ago with a win over Ohio State getting the monkey off Harbaugh’s back and destroying the narrative that the coach couldn’t win a big game. UM did it again last season for their first winning streak against the arch rival Buckeyes since 1999-2000. Now it’s time to win a game in the CFP after two straight losses in the tournament, with last year’s upset fueling the team’s march toward another berth.
Roster
The only thing that could seemingly have a negative impact on the season is the looming possibility of a suspension for Harbaugh. As of this writing nothing has been announced, but the coach could potentially miss the first four games, which are all at home with the Wolverines heavily favored in all of them. I guess injuries could play a role, too, like we saw last season with Blake Corum. The team’s leading rusher missed the Big Ten title matchup and the CFP game after injuring his knee.
Corum is back along with the team’s second leading rusher Donovan Edwards to form a dynamic group that had the Wolverines ranked No. 1 in the conference and fifth nationally. Corum amassed 1,463 yards and 18 scores while Edwards had 991 yards and seven touchdowns averaging over seven yards per carry. With a big and physical line to run behind, there won’t be a drop in production.
The Wolverines scored more than 40 points in a game eight times last season topping the 50-point mark in half of those. They averaged nearly 460 yards with a balanced attack. The run game was special and so was McCarthy, giving UM another edge on most of its opponents. A returning starter that dominated last season all of his key weapons in place will keep the unit humming. McCarthy threw for 2,719 yards with 22 TD passes and only five interceptions. On the rare occasion opponents did get pressure, McCarthy extended plays and was threat running the ball with 306 yards and five TDs.
Unfortunately the defense will be remembered for how the 2022 season ended instead of their body of work through the other 13 games. Of course the 51-45 loss to TCU can’t all be blamed on the group since McCarthy threw a pair of pick sixes. But it wasn’t the type of performance we expected from a group that finished the year seventh nationally allowing an average of 16.1 points. A number of starters are back looking to make amends for the playoff loss. Up front the team is deeper and more experienced, though the absence of Big Ten D-Lineman of the Year Mike Morris will be felt. Still, the unit is solid throughout and should have another solid year stopping opponents.
Schedule
Gaining confidence from a non-conference cupcake schedule last year put the Wolverines in a good spot to complete the regular season without a loss. Guess what? The club is doing the same thing in 2023. They don’t face a single Power 5 opponent and three games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green take place in the Big House. They are on the road against Michigan State and Penn State, but The Game is in Ann Arbor.
Prediction
There is little margin for error with the win total set at 10.5. The Wolverines are positioned for another run at the CFP with a lineup loaded with returning starters and all-conference players. McCarthy directs what should be another potent offense that bullies opponents and the group is solid defensively. I’ll admit I’m not a Michigan fan, but I can see them easily winning 11 games if not all 12 again.
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