The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ESPN LIKES MICHIGAN'S CHANCES TO MAKE THE 2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF On April 17, ESPN analytics expert Seth Walder released an article revealing which teams have the best odds of making the 2019 College Football Playoff, and Michigan checked in third in the nation. Clemson led the way with an 83 percent chance and Ala- bama was next at 71 percent, followed by U-M at 41 percent. Walder also took the calculations a step further and de- clared the Maize and Blue as having a seven percent chance to win the national title, which were the fourth-best odds nationally behind the aforementioned Tigers (36 percent) and Crimson Tide (27 percent), as well as Georgia (eight percent). The expert then projected the 10 most likely College Foot- ball Playoff pairings and the Wolverines showed up in half of them, with a showdown against Alabama in the No. 1 versus No. 4 game being the most likely matchup. "Coach Jim Harbaugh is bringing back eight starters on offense, including [senior] quarterback Shea Patterson, who tied for eighth in total QBR a season ago," Walder wrote. "The result is that FPI [ESPN's Football Power Index] expects Michigan to have the best offense (and team) in the Big Ten, catching some of its division rivals in what could be a down season. "However, it's worth noting that FPI is awfully low on Ohio State — maybe even too low — because it isn't explicitly aware that the Buckeyes have added via transfer an elite quarterback prospect in [sophomore] Justin Fields (transfer QBs in FPI are noted only when they have significant starting experience)." MICHIGAN'S 2019-20 BIG TEN BASKETBALL SCHEDULE PAIRINGS REVEALED The Big Ten released its conference pairings for the 2019- 20 basketball season April 17, and Michigan appeared to receive a favorable draw. U-M will not be making road trips to two historically chal- lenging venues in Indiana's Assembly Hall and Wisconsin's Kohl Center, nor will it be traveling to Penn State (where it fell this past season). U-M will host those three squads in its lone regular-season matchup with each. The Wolverines will, however, journey to Maryland, Min- nesota and Northwestern, without facing any of those three in Ann Arbor. The clubs Michigan will play both home and away are slated to be Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers. The league adopted a 20-game conference schedule for the first time ever last year (U-M went 15-5), meaning each Big Ten program will play seven squads twice, while facing an additional six only once. Due to the added contests, the league will once again feature two of its conference showdowns in early December during Big Ten football championship weekend, a trend it first installed during the 2017-18 campaign. It should also be noted that the Maize and Blue will have an opportunity to pick up victories in the two Big Ten ven- ues they currently hold the longest winless droughts in — Ohio State and Purdue. Ironically, Michigan last won in both Columbus and West Lafayette in 2014, when they defeated the Buckeyes 70-60 and topped the Boilermakers 77-76. SWIMMER SIOBHÁN HAUGHEY QUALIFIES FOR BOTH THE OLYMPICS AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Women's swimming and diving senior freestyler Siobán Haughey qualified for the 2019 World Championships (July 21-28 in Gwangiu, South Korea) and the 2020 Olympics (July 24-Aug. 9 in Tokyo, Japan) after she put on an impressive performance in the Festival of Sport April 14 in her home- town of Hong Kong. Haughey first lowered her previously held national record for China in the 100-meter freestyle to 53.59 seconds (the qualifying standard is 54.38), which also happened to be the 10th-fastest time in the world this year. After her excellent showing in that race, the senior also achieved the FINA cut in the 200-meter freestyle, with a 1:57.16 (the standard is 1:57.22). Haughey actually has past experience in both of the up- coming international competitions. The 2020 trip will be her second appearance in the Olympics, after she made it to the semifinals in the 200-meter freestyle (finished 13th) of the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On top of that, the senior also placed fifth in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2017 World Championships and won two gold medals at the 2017 World University Games. She will have some familiar company with her in this year's edition of the World Championships, with teammate and fellow Hong Kong native Jamie Yeung, a senior breaststro- ker, also competing. — Austin Fox MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK Haughey's time of 53.59 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle at the Festival of Sport April 14 in Hong Kong lowered her previously held national record for China and was the 10th-fastest time in the world this year. PHOTO BY WALT MIDDLETON