There has been a lot of ink spilled this off-season, little of it positive. While the prognosticators may disagree on the number of wins that this Wolverines squad will have to come up with to save Coach Rodriguez's job, the consensus is that a repeat of last year's struggles will be unacceptable. Handicapping this squads chances is an opportunity to look incredibly foolish sometime in late November, and is a good illustration of why Las Vegas will always make money from the betting public. Anyone who says that they are confident in their predictions for this season is trying to sell you something. This team has a combination of talent and inexperience that could result in anything from a 4-win disaster, to a 9-victory campaign. Which is the same as saying: "They could be god-awful or they could be pretty good." That all being said, I'll point out some things to watch for this season.
The offense will put up points. Another off-season to work on the spread offense should help the Wolverines to light up score boards. Expect Sophomore Denard Robinson to get the majority of snaps from center. His athleticism has caused visions of Pat White to dance in the heads of optimistic analysts. There's no question that Robinson has speed to burn, and plenty of shake and bake; the key to his success will be effectiveness in the passing game. Accurate early down passing will prevent the safeties from cheating up to play the run, and will help the running game gain yards in chunks. Last season's starter Tate Forcier will likely see some snaps, but could see extended time if Robinson struggles throwing the ball. If super-frosh Devin Gardner sees the field, you know something has gone horribly awry. The backs and receivers are talented, with Michael Shaw and Roy Roundtree being counted on to lead their respective groups.
The defensive side of the ball is what will make or break Michigan's season. Fast but undersized, they won't pitch shut outs, but need to find a way to get off the field on third down. Last season's struggles in the time-of-possession battle were a key contributor to the Wolverine's collapse down the stretch. The defensive front is going to be forced to get pressure to protect a Michigan secondary hampered by injuries and inexperience. J. T. Floyd leads a defensive backfield that still gets carded at R-rated movies. Freshman Cullen Christian will probably be counted on to step up opposite Floyd. While this unit should improve as the season progresses, it will probably struggle with sophisticated pass attacks (thankfully they play in the Big10).
Prediction:
I expect this team to be exciting, and incredibly frustrating to watch. Points will be scored in bunches, but to win, the Wolverines will have to get defensive stops eventually. Expect some national columnist to dub them the "cardiac kids" by week 3, just remember you read it here first. As for their final record, I'm torn. My heart says this is an eight-win bowl team, my head says this is a young team that will finish 6-6. So I'll split the difference and predict a 7 win season, with a over Sparty, but a loss in Columbus.
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