The Michigan Wolverines have made it to back-to-back college football playoffs. They have won two straight Big Ten titles as well and they are going to try to three-peat in the Big Ten in 2023. Jim Harbaugh has had a successful stint so far in Ann Arbor and this team is primed for another good season this year. Their defense has been great the last couple of seasons and the offense has made some serious strides the last two seasons as well. Can they three-peat as Big Ten champions? Here is the preview for the 2023 Michigan Wolverines.
Offense
The Michigan Wolverines offense is going to be poised for another good season in 2023. Michigan runs a physical style of offense that is led by quarterback JJ McCarthy. McCarthy is the signal caller and he threw for 2,719 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. However, McCarthy is a great game manager and the focal point of this offense is their two-headed monster in the running game for sure. They are led by running backs Blake Corum, an All-American running back (1,463 yards 5.9 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns) and Donovan Edwards (991 rushing yards and seven touchdowns). Corum tore his meniscus and sprained his MCL late last season. If he is fully recovered, these two are going to be a solid duo again in 2023.
At the wide receiver position however, they lost their number one target and will ask their third leading receiver from a season ago to take a big step forward. Cornelius Johnson is the number one target for this Wolverines offense. Another big target for McCarthy and this offense has to be sophomore tight end Colston Loveland. He is going to fill in the role of Luke Schoonmaker very nicely for the Wolverines and will be the reliable tight end threat that Michigan needs.
The offensive line got a little bit of a shake up. They brought in Drake Nugent (Stanford) to be their center for this year. Michigan also brought LaDarius Henderson (Arizona State) to start at left tackle. The Wolverines get both of their starting offensive guards back from last season in Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan. Both of them were a huge part of why the running game was so successful in 2022, and they will be a vital part if they want to be successful in 2023 again.
Defense
This Wolverines defense is looking to build upon their success from last season. On the defensive line, they have to replace Mike Morris who won the Big Ten Defensive Lineman Of The Year. However, this defensive line group is led by nose tackle Mason Graham and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. They will need their edge rushers Braiden McGregor, Jaylen Harrell, and Coastal Carolina transfer Josaiah Stewart will need to create pressure on the quarterback. Their defensive line will rotate players in and out, but they need to get their number of sacks up in 2023.
The linebacker core got beefed up with All-Big Ten linebacker Junior Colson returning. Colson had 101 tackles which led the team last season. He is also going to be partnered with Michael Barrett, the sixth year senior and Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska). Colson and Barrett were number one and two on the team in tackles last season. Having that back is a huge blessing for the Wolverines. In the secondary, this group is led by cornerback Will Johnson. The sophomore was second on the team in interceptions as a true freshman.
This team also has two safeties with starting experience in Makari Paige and Rod Moore. Moore led the team in interceptions as a freshman last season. These two will have to be the leaders in the back end. This secondary will be the glue of this defense and if they play as well as they did last year, the Wolverines defense will be tough to play against yet again.
Win Total Bet
The Michigan win total is set at 10.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook, with the odds on the over set at -118 and the under is set at -104. This offense is going to lull you to sleep with their success at their ground and pound game. McCarthy is a good quarterback that can take control of the pace of this game will be tough to beat. If their defense can play up to the level that they were at last year, they will be a tough out. However, I think this team is going to drop two games in the Big Ten. I am taking the under 10.5 wins at -104 odds for one unit. It is tough to three-peat as Big Ten Champions and I believe that they don’t win the Big Ten and don’t go over the 10.5 win total mark.
Schedule Predictions
Win vs East Carolina (1-0)
Blowout Win vs UNLV (2-0)
Convincing Win vs Bowling Green (3-0)
Win vs Rutgers (4-0)
Win at Nebraska (5-0)
Huge Win at Minnesota (6-0)
Blowout Win vs Indiana (7-0)
Rivalry Win at Michigan State (8-0)
Win vs Purdue (9-0)
Loss at Penn State (9-1)
Win at Maryland (10-1)
Loss vs Ohio State (10-2)