2009 NCAA - Michigan
One thing is certain this fall: Michigan will improve off of last season's 3-9 record. How much, of course, is the big question. The Wolverines took their lumps by cutting ties with the previous regime to bring in Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia in hopes of once again competing for the national title in the not-too-distant future, something the brass thought was no longer possible for departed Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines took the expected lumps, as the offense ranked 109th in the country and the defense was the worst in the long and storied history of UM football. Kudos to Rodriguez for not trying any quick fixes; he redshirted eight incoming freshmen that wanted to play last fall. Ten starters return to the offense, with only the QB tranferring out. True frosh Tate Forcier was just the sort of QB that Rodriguez was looking for to run his spread option, as he can make plays with his legs and his arm and supposedly has a good head on his shoulders - we'll see how he reacts to Big Ten speed in a game situation.
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Michigan
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Former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson takes over the defense; this is a role he is accustomed to and he has been well-regarded as a DC in both college and NFL stops. Michigan ranked 104th in turnover margin last season; expect improvement on both sides to help that number go up precipitously this fall. Robinson has worked on trying to get his defense in a position to slow down opponents that run the spread offense, as the Wolverines have had issues with containing it since Appalachian State's shocking win in Ann Arbor to kick off the 2007 season. |
| ASK the bookie? - The Wolverines leave the state exactly one time before Halloween (and play just four road games all season), so the schedule should allow Rodriguez to accurately monitor his team's progress early on. Still, it's tough to project a massive improvement in the win column, as Rodriguez is trying to build the program the right way. Of the two Big 10 wins last fall, only Wisconsin is on the schedule in 2009. Optimistically, six wins looks about right. Anything more than that has to be deemed a success in what is a rebuilding task that should be complete in 2011 or 2012. |
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