The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Wolverines Take A Step Forward With A 10-2 Mark By Austin Fox After concluding the 2019 regular season with a disap- pointing 9-3 record, Michigan should be in good position to improve that mark in 2020. The Wolverines appear to be in outstanding shape person- nel-wise heading into next season, with an offensive line that needs to find four new starters and a quarterback spot vacated by Shea Patterson standing as the only two signifi- cant question marks. U-M's 2020 schedule also sets up favorably with both Wisconsin and Penn State com- i n g to An n Ar b o r, a p l a ce t h at h e a d coach Jim Harbaugh has compiled a 30-5 record in during his five years at Michigan. Road trips to Wash- ington and Ohio State to b e gi n a n d e n d the season, respec- tively, will be difficult, though the Huskies will be breaking in a first-year head coach and a new star ting quarterback in 2020. The Maize and Blue will also have to make treks to Michi- gan State, Minnesota and Rutgers, with all three contests standing as matchups U-M should win. A victory at Wash- ington in the opener could set the tone for the campaign, with a potential 11-1 finish then becoming a legitimate possibility. Michigan Will Finish With Another 9-3 Season By Chris Balas Michigan's schedule seems pretty manageable this year given Michigan State's rapid descent, and home games with Wisconsin and Penn State. U-M has a great chance to hold serve at home, having lost only five games at Michigan Sta- dium under head coach Jim Harbaugh — all five to either Michigan State or Ohio State — and pounding Wisconsin and Penn State in three of the four home meetings with the two schools (the four th was a 14-7 win over Wisconsin in 2016). In fact, if U-M were t o b e a t Wa s h i n g - ton in the opener, it would be tough to bet against the Wolverines going 10-2. But when was the last time a Michigan team won a non-con- ference, regular-sea- son game on the West Coast? You'd have to go back to the 1980s, when U-M needed an onside kick and a last-second field goal in 1989 to beat UCLA. They've since lost to UCLA (2001) and Oregon (2003) in games in which they were favored — they also dropped three Rose Bowls. Michigan's road slate, meanwhile, includes tough games at Minnesota and Ohio State. At this point, it's hard to bet on them to win either, given their recent road woes. U-M will finish a solid 9-3 in the regular season. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHAT WILL MICHIGAN FOOTBALL'S RECORD BE IN 2020? It remains to be seen exactly which Michigan team will take the field in 2020. Will the squad most resemble the one that demolished Notre Dame in 2019 or the one that subsequently got doubled up by Ohio State? PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN After finishing with a 9-4 record in 2019, U-M checked in at No. 18 in the final Associated Press poll that was released following the College Football Playoff national champion- ship game. U-M faced six opponents that were ranked in the final AP poll: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Penn State, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 15 Iowa. The Wolverines went 2-4 in those games, with wins over Iowa and Notre Dame. Several publications have come out with their "way-too-early" top- 25 rankings for the 2020 college foot- ball season. In those listings, the Wol- verines have been slotted anywhere from No. 12 to No. 20. Next season's schedule is another challenging one for U-M, and will once again be one of the toughest in the country. The Maize and Blue will face at least four ranked opponents, ac- cording to these eight different outlets. U-M's 2020 opponents that were included in at least one of the early rankings are: Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Washington and Wisconsin. The Wolverines will travel to Washington to start the sea- son Sept. 5, and also must play at Minnesota Oct. 17 and at Ohio State Nov. 28. U-M will host Wisconsin Sept. 26, Penn State Oct. 3 and Pur- due Oct. 24. — Clayton Sayfie Outlet Michigan 2020 Opponents (Rank) Athlon 12 OSU (2), PSU (6), Wis. (10), Minn. (13) CBS Sports 14 OSU (2), Minn. (11), PSU (12), Wis. (15) ESPN 15 OSU (2), PSU (9), Wis. (14), Minn. (19) Sporting News 15 OSU (2), PSU (9), Minn. (12), Wis. (14) Sports Illustrated 20 OSU (3), PSU (5), Minn. (11), Wis. (13), Purdue (24) The Athletic 20 OSU (2), PSU (11), Wis. (12), Minn. (20) USA Today 12 OSU (3), PSU (7), Wis. (18), Wash. (24) Watch Stadium 18 OSU (2), PSU (11), Wis. (12), Wash. (20) Where Michigan Stands In 'Way-Too-Early' Top-25 Rankings