The Michigan Wolverines were supposed to be better than this, three years into the tenure of Jim Harbaugh. A proud program with one of the elite coaches in football was supposed to have made more advancements and collected more scalps than Michigan has in three years under its new leader. Can the Wolverines begin to rise to a higher level this upcoming season? A lot of people are skeptical that they can top their regular season win total… or do anything more than that.
Michigan 2018 regular season win total
Over 8.5
Under 8.5
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
What Happened Last Year
The Wolverines could not score very consistently or reliably, and they couldn’t even avoid turnovers with the regularity needed to win. Sloppy games against Michigan State and in the bowl game against South Carolina turned what could have been a solid 10-3 season into an 8-5 year, including the bowl game. Michigan’s combination of Wilton Speight, John O’Korn and Brandon Peters at quarterback was never inspiring. None of those three men indicated that they were ready to become the next clear-cut quarterback for the Maize and Blue. The receivers still failed to be special, and the running game was still something much less than impressive. The defense once again held the team together and gave it a chance to be competitive on a regular basis, but the offense held the team back. In Michigan’s five losses, the offense never scored more than 20 points. The defense had to do way too much on this team, and without the emergence of a great quarterback, the rest of the project fell apart and crumbled.
What Will Change This Year
The Wolverines might have gotten their answer at quarterback. Shea Patteson, a dual-threat quarterback, has transferred from Ole Miss. That gives Harbaugh the most talented signal caller of his Michigan career. This is a player whose skill set could put defenses off balance and give Michigan the diversity of attack it has plainly lacked since Harbaugh came aboard as head coach. The defense does lose Maurice Hurst and a few other impact players. However, Don Brown is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country and has proven that he can quickly restore a defense after any of the offseason losses it endures. The offense is the obvious problem in need of a solution. Patterson will make the unit better, but he will need help if the unit is to improve on a scale which will enable Michigan to at least win nine games and – beyond that – make a top-level bowl game.
Outlook & Prediction
The schedule is absolutely nasty and the main reason why the win total is as low as it is, at 8.5 games. Michigan scheduled Notre Dame out of conference. That will be a very tough game. Then, the Wolverines – in crossover games against Big Ten West Division opponents – have to face Wisconsin and Northwestern, the two toughest teams in that division. Then Michigan has to play the three toughest teams in the Big Ten East: Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State.
The Ohio State and Michigan State games are both on the road, both likely losses. The Northwestern game is also on the road, as is Notre Dame. Michigan will have to win at least one of those four games and go unbeaten at home to make nine wins. That is asking a lot. The better pick seems to be the under.
