The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1014905
SEPTEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS "Everybody is saying lately, 'Harbaugh is on the hot seat.' Brady Hoke was 6-10 in the Big Ten his last two seasons at Michigan, and was routed seven times in two years in a half-filled system. Harbaugh went 10-3 his first year and was the craziest play in college football away from going 11-2. He went 10-3 again the following season and lost on the last play in overtime against Ohio State, or he would've been 11-1 and going to the Playoff. "Folks, can we have a little context? He took over a mess. Last year, the quar- terback situation unraveled and they were bad in the last month — it hap- pens. He's turned around every program he's been at within two years — San Diego, Stanford and the 49ers. He is literally 12 seconds and two plays away from being 3-3 against his rivals and having a trip to the national champion- ship tournament." — FOX Sports radio host Colin Cowherd "As a high school prospect, we loved [Michigan junior quarterback Shea] Pat- terson, from his arm strength and accuracy to his moxie and ability to make big plays when it mattered. Being our No. 1 quarterback coming out of high school, expectations were high after a really good final season at IMG Acad- emy. He has shown flashes of his ability at Ole Miss, but bigger things are now expected. He's not the tallest quarterback, but he finds passing windows, can extend the play and throws on the run very well. He should excel at Michigan and could move up our board." — Rivals.com director of recruiting Mike Farrell on why Patterson is one of the top five eligible quarterbacks for the 2019 NFL Draft "The 6-7 [Cole] Bajema is a scorer who specializes in creating shots off the dribble and is making a major charge for the next Rivals150. Yes, Bajema is pretty skinny and needs to add strength, but his skill helps to compensate. The tendency with a guy like him is to see his body type and a smooth look- ing jumper and think 'shooter.' Sure, Bajema can shoot it plenty well and will be dangerous as a deep shooter in college, but what should have Michigan fans most excited is that he is a talented playmaker off the dribble who moves the ball and finds teammates when they are open. I wouldn't be surprised if Bajema ends up a multiple-year starter in Ann Arbor." — Rivals.com national basketball recruiting analyst Eric Bossi on Lynden (Wash.) Christian three-star small forward and Michigan commit Cole Bajema — Austin Fox Senior running back Karan Higdon at Big Ten Media Days in late July "We're motivated [by our lack of success against rivals]. We can't look forward to some of those other games before we beat Notre Dame, though. That game will identify who we are as Michigan Wolverines in 2018." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN THEY SAID IT Michigan will have another challenging schedule in 2018. The slate includes five matchups with ranked teams, including three straight against preseason top-25 foes from Oct. 13 to Nov. 3 (the bye falls between MSU and PSU). Here are the experts' preseason rankings for the Wolverines and their 2018 opponents. — Will Eudy Coaches Sporting SB School Poll SI ESPN News CBS Nation Avg. Michigan 14 15 14 12 13 14 13.7 Notre Dame 11 16 11 9 12 11 11.7 Western Michigan — — — — — — — SMU — — — — — — — Nebraska — — — — — — — Northwestern — — — — — — — Maryland — — — — — — — Wisconsin 7 3 7 6 5 7 5.8 Michigan State 12 11 12 13 10 12 11.7 Penn State 9 7 9 10 8 9 8.7 Rutgers — — — — — — — Indiana — — — — — — — Ohio State 3 9 3 4 4 3 4.3 Michigan opens its season with Notre Dame and junior All-American cornerback Julian Love. The Irish are one of five U-M foes to appear in various preseason top 25s. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Preseason Rankings for Michigan And Its 2018 Opponents