Michigan Wolverines
Head coach: Jim Harbaugh
2014 Record: 5-7 overall; 3-5 Big 10
2014 Bowl: N/A (Last Bowl 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings)
2015 Returning Starters: 4 offense, 6 defense
Odds to win 2016 CFB Championship: 86/1
Odds to win 2015 Big Ten East Title: +560
Regular Season Wins: Over 7 (1.833/1); Under 7 (1.909/1)
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Jim Harbaugh headlines the new Michigan Wolverines even more so than any of his current players. Michigan had deteriorated under Brady Hoke, and the Wolverine faithful are assured that Harbaugh will bring respectability back to the program.
The offense that Hoke ran, however, really is nothing more than what Harbaugh does more successfully; and that maybe is all Michigan needs to return to respectability, after not even playing in the 2014 postseason.
More than anything Harbaugh will strive for better passing efficiency. The Wolverines posted a 109.7 passer efficiency rating in 2014 and were 107th among D-1 schools. The quarterback battle is wide open, too. The team has six scholarship QBs and Jake Rudock has just one final year of eligibility to give to the team while he pursues a master’s degree.
QB John O’Korn may sit out the season, and Zach Gentry is a talented incoming freshman, too. Of the three that played in spring, Shane Morris, Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone complicate matters further. Morris was said to be the No. 1 option from Harbaugh after Spring, but that really isn’t taking into account who most feel is his best option.
Morris, still, has started just one NCAA game and Rudock is far more experienced if the Wolverines want to go with the safer option. Rudock threw for 4,819 yards in two years at Iowa, and he’s a strong 6’3” 208 pounds who has already thrived against other Big Ten teams. He threw 61.7 percent for completion last year, which by all means could improve the Wolverines who threw 18 interceptions last year while completing just 10 TDs.
Rudock has had the transfer rule waved largely due to his circumstances as a grad school student, and Rudock has earned high praise from college football analysts who believe he has the talent necessary to thrive under Harbaugh. Morris will be in the mix, but Rudock has already shown he can lead a team to a winning record, which is really all Wolverine fans can want with the team projected at an over/under of seven wins at 5dimes. The Wolverines will already face its first major tests when it faces Northwestern and Michigan State back-to-back on Oct 10 and 17.
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The defense was one of the most underrated units last season and helped rescue the offense which failed to produce consistently all year. The Wolverines could have easily won just three games if not for the great ‘D’ and 24 of the 29 players from last season are back in the fold. Redshirt freshman S Jabrill Peppers figures to add a major injection of talent into the unit as well, while the team tries to improve on its No. 7 national ranking defensively.
Jake Ryan, Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer are all gone, but the depth the Wolverines return will ensure that the unit is successful again this season. It’s really the wildcard for Michigan football, because a strong defense in the Big 10 is typically good enough to steal some games. The new defensive coordinator D.J. Durbin will run both the 4-3 and 3-4 but in the spring game it was mostly just the 4-3 that was used. Joe Bolden returns and had 102 tackles last season, while senior Desmond Morgan will return from a season lost to injury last year.
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The Wolverines did lose its star punter and its place kicker, and will rely on a true freshman in Andrew David this year as well as a graduate transfer Blake O’Neill for punting duties. The special teams units may be weak, and there really aren’t any explosive return specialists to get those extra yards that the Wolverines need with regard to field positioning, or even the occasional run-back.
The Wolverines defense alone will keep this team in games, so it’s really up to Harbaugh to settle on a QB that he feels can best play his game. He’s the quality of coach that is going to make whichever option into a good one, but at this point it really seems that the job is best going to Rudock. He’s proven and if he steps up into the role given to him, with the help of a good defense, the Wolverines could return to Bowl play this year.
It’s a team on the cusp and in its first year with a new head coach. What Michigan fans seem most assured of, however, is that Harbaugh simply has to be better than Hoke was.
Prediction: 8 wins.
