The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 23 Lindy's also pegged Michigan's DBs No. 2 and its defensive line as No. 9 in the country, saying, "No one has garnered as much atten- tion as senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins [a second-team preseason All-American], nicknamed 'the Mutant.'" Lindy's astutely noted that the 2022 sea- son felt like a squandered opportunity for Michigan, and the Wolverines don't want to make that mistake again. The Lindy's scouting report closed by saying "the two-time defending Big Ten champions enter the season with expecta- tions that supersede what analysts have predicted in recent years. Beating Ohio State and, by extension, winning the Big Ten, is no longer a stretch goal — now it's the presumption." Phil Steele's '23 College Football Longtime college football analyst and prognosticator Phil Steele is not someone who blindly follows the crowd. He's well known for combing through mountains of data and historical trends, which leads him to interesting insights and conclusions. In publishing his 29th annual preseason magazine, Steele picked Michigan to win the Big Ten, but finish No. 3 nationally. He also threw out a cautionary statement about relying on statistics. "Eight of my nine sets of power ratings call for Michigan to beat Ohio State at home and win the Big Ten — but they all called for OSU last year," he said. That should be just fine for Michigan, because when it lines up against Ohio State, all the statistics get thrown out the window anyway. The tougher team is the one that wins The Game, and based on its superior- ity in the trenches these past two seasons, Michigan has both a mental and physical edge against its archrivals. But Steele doesn't expect Michigan to be one-dimensional in 2023. "[J.J.] McCarthy should be allowed to throw deep more often to open up the of- fenses and that makes him a Heisman con- tender," said Steele. "This year the super combo of [Blake] Corum and [Donovan] Edwards returns and this is my No. 1 run- ning back corps … and No. 2 offensive line." On defense, Steele said he expects Mich- igan to remain "an elite D," and that "this team is hungry to break through and win a national title." He thinks Michigan has the schedule and talent to accomplish that goal. "Michigan has 15 returning starters, and only faces my No. 67-toughest schedule. They figure to be 9-0 when they travel to Happy Valley [to play Penn State Nov. 11] and two weeks later get Ohio State at home." * * * All in all, whether it's Phil Steele, Lindy's or Athlon, the pundits seem to agree that 2023 will feature a November to remember for Michigan football. However, the objective this year is not just to reach the College Football Playoff. Michigan's goal is to be playing for a CFP national championship on Monday, Jan. 8, in Houston's NRG Stadium. The college football prognosticators think this U-M team is built to reach cham- pionship Monday. What happens then will be up to the men in Maize and Blue. ❑ U-M Bowl Predictions Athlon Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal) Michigan vs. Alabama Lindy's Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal) Michigan vs. Ohio State CFP Championship Game Georgia vs. Michigan Wolverines On All-Big Ten Teams Pos. Player ATHLON LINDY'S PHIL STEELE RB Blake Corum 1st 1st 1st QB J.J. McCarthy 1st 1st 1st OG Zak Zinter 1st 1st 1st C Drake Nugent 1st 2nd 1st LB Junior Colson 1st 2nd 1st DT Kris Jenkins 2nd 1st 1st CB Will Johnson 1st 1st 2nd S Rod Moore 2nd — 1st OG Trevor Keegan 2nd 1st 2nd RB Donovan Edwards 1st* 3rd 3rd LB Michael Barrett 2nd — 2nd K James Turner — 2nd 2nd DT Mason Graham 2nd — 4th WR Cornelius Johnson 3rd 2nd 3rd OT LaDarius Henderson — — 3 rd TE Colston Loveland 3rd — 4th DE Jaylen Harrell — — 4th * listed as an all-purpose back ATHLON • RB — 1st • OL — 2nd • LB — 4th • DB — 4th • DL — 5th • QB — 9th LINDY'S • OL — 1st • Backfield — 2nd • DB — 2nd • LB — 7th • DL — 9th PHIL STEELE • RB — 1st • OL — 2nd • LB — 5th • DL — 6th • DB — 7th • QB — 18th • SpT — 32nd • WR — 39th ATHLON 1st 2nd 3rd School Team Team Team Total Ohio State 8 4 3 15 Michigan 7 5 2 14 Penn State 4 3 2 9 Illinois 2 2 3 7 Iowa 3 3 — 6 Michigan State 2 — 4 6 Minnesota — 4 2 6 Wisconsin 1 2 2 5 Maryland — 1 4 5 Indiana 1 1 2 4 Purdue — 2 1 3 Rutgers — 1 2 3 Northwestern 1 — 1 2 Nebraska — 1 1 2 LINDY'S 1st 2nd 3rd School Team Team Team Total Ohio State 6 5 2 13 Michigan 6 4 1 11 Iowa 3 2 4 9 Penn State 3 4 1 8 Wisconsin 3 — 3 6 Minnesota 1 2 3 6 Illinois 1 2 3 6 Nebraska — 1 4 5 Michigan State 1 1 1 3 Rutgers — 1 2 3 Purdue — 1 2 3 Indiana 1 1 — 2 Northwestern — — 2 2 Maryland — 1 — 1 PHIL STEELE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th School Team Team Team Team Total Michigan 7 4 3 3 17 Ohio State 5 2 4 5 16 Penn State 3 4 4 — 11 Wisconsin 3 2 3 3 11 Iowa 3 3 2 2 10 Maryland — 3 4 2 9 Illinois 3 2 2 1 8 Minnesota 2 3 — 3 8 Indiana 2 3 — — 5 Northwestern 1 — 1 3 5 Nebraska — — 2 3 5 Michigan State — 2 2 — 4 Rutgers — 1 1 2 4 Purdue — — 1 2 3 Preseason All-Big Ten Honorees By School Michigan In National Unit Rankings