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Before anybody in the Ann Arbor area gets too offended by what they’re about to read, I have to establish my bona fides.
That’s right: Last summer, I was bold enough to predict Michigan football would win the College Football Playoff come January.
Lucky guess? Probably.
There was logic behind the luck, though: It genuinely looked like the Wolverines had all the pieces needed to make a run at the title.
Jim Harbaugh entered a season with a potential top-10 NFL draft pick at quarterback, the best offensive line in the country two years running, a unanimous All-American running back, a pair of experienced senior wideouts, the program’s most talented tight end since Jake Butt and a defense widely expected to be one of the best in the nation.
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland runs against Indiana defensive back Louis Moore during the second half of U-M’s 52-7 win over Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Ann Arbor.
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In case that wasn’t enough reason for confidence, there was a nonconference schedule with three cupcakes, an October full of mediocre league opponents and, finally, the only three consequential games of the regular season: at Penn State, at Maryland and home against Ohio State.
In short, last season seemed set up for the Wolverines to perfectly crescendo, growing into their identity and becoming the buzzsaw that defeated three top-five opponents (Ohio State, Alabama and Washington) en route to the CFP title.
The parade was cold, but long overdue for those who support the maize and blue, and the best team in program history finished its history-making season by sending a record 18 players to the NFL combine and 13 players into the NFL draft itsself.
Those two numbers are a large part of the reason why I’m going to upset…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/last-picked-michigan-football-win-100618491.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-07-21 10:06:18
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