Michigan Football season preview: Best and worst-case scenario

Michigan football enters the 2019 season with high hopes. The Wolverines are talented, experienced and hungry to prove their doubters wrong.

For much of the 2018 season, it looked like it was finally going to be the year for Michigan football. The year that all the pain and heartache came to an end; the year the Wolverines finally beat Ohio State and won the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2004.

But then, on a cloudy Saturday in Columbus, Ohio last November, it all came crashing down. Michigan’s defense was shredded and its vaunting run game was stymied. Jim Harbaugh looked clueless. Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes looked unbeatable.

Fast forward eight months and the rivalry between Michigan football and Ohio State has a much different feel. Meyer is out as head coach, retiring or at least waiting for the scandal to clear until he can cherry-pick another elite job.

With his departure, comes a wide-open Big Ten and a chance for Michigan football to fill the power vacuum. If Harbaugh and company are ever going to assert their dominance in the Big Ten East and beyond, now is the time.

While Ohio State has a new head coach and a new quarterback, the Wolverines return Shea Patterson and both of his backups, including Dylan McCaffrey. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins are back at wide receiver along with four offensive linemen that earned an All-Big Ten honor a year ago.

Add in new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and his spread system that features plenty of RPO’s and even fewer huddles and Michigan’s offense could the Big Ten’s best.

Defensively, Don Brown has some work to do after allowing 62 points to Ohio State and 41 to Florida. But even though the Wolverines lost guys like Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich and David Long, key contributors such as Lavert Hill, Josh Uche and Khaleke Hudson return.

Five-star freshman Daxton Hill should also make an impact in the secondary, while young, talented players push for playing time at all three levels of the defense. Harbaugh has all his guys now and you can expect Michigan’s defense to be as salty as ever.

Brown will be Brown. He’s going to attack but hopefully, the Wolverines finally realize that giving up the fewest yards doesn’t mean anything and that being able to contain elite offenses is as important as dominating average ones.

With just about everyone predicting Michigan football to win the Big Ten East and finally beat Ohio State, it’s easy to call that the best-case scenario for 2019. Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan State all come to Ann Arbor, coupled with trips to Penn State and Wisconsin.

If the Wolverines can run the table at home, a trip to the Big Ten title game and a berth in the College Football Playoff seems likely. Even with a loss along the way, Michigan could be the Big Ten’s best playoff-hopeful for the second straight year and with a favorable slate, 12-0 is possible.

Best-case scenario

• Aug. 31 vs Middle Tennessee State — W
• Sept. 7 vs Army — W
• Sept. 21 at Wisconsin — W
• Sept. 28 vs Rutgers — W
• Oct. 5 vs Iowa — W
• Oct. 12 at Illinois — W
• Oct. 19 at Penn State — W
• Oct. 26 vs Notre Dame — W
• Nov. 2 at Maryland — W
• Nov. 16 vs Michigan State — W
• Nov. 23 at Indiana — W
• Nov. 30 vs Ohio State — W

Record: 12-0, Big Ten champions and in the College Football Playoff

The worst-case scenario for Michigan football is another loss to Ohio State, plus getting upset on the road by someone. Defeats at the hands of Notre Dame and Michigan State would be dreadful too, however, the Wolverines seem up to beating both of those teams. Even if they aren’t at their best. Ohio State is a different animal and while 10-2 is great for most programs, it’s not for UM.

Worst-case scenario

• Aug. 31 vs Middle Tennessee State — W 
• Sept. 7 vs Army — W
• Sept. 21 at Wisconsin — W
• Sept. 28 vs Rutgers — W
• Oct. 5 vs Iowa — W 
• Oct. 12 at Illinois — W
• Oct. 19 at Penn State — L
• Oct. 26 vs Notre Dame — W
• Nov. 2 at Maryland — W
• Nov. 16 vs Michigan State — W
• Nov. 23 at Indiana — W
• Nov. 30 vs Ohio State — L

Record: 10-2, second place in the Big Ten East

In that scenario, Michigan would likely be a top-10 team heading into the bowl season and might even find themselves in the Rose Bowl as a consolation prize. Yet, if the Wolverines don’t beat Ohio State, they aren’t going to win the Big Ten championship and in terms of goals for 2019, beating the Buckeyes and winning the Big Ten are the two that matter.