Ahead of Schedule: X Factors

The 2022 season is getting ever closer and we are taking a closer look at Michigan’s opponents for the upcoming season. In this edition of Ahead of Schedule, we take a look at the X Factors Michigan will face in each game during the season.

Colorado State was not a good football team in 2021. Steve Addazio is out, former Nevada coach Jay Norvell is in, and he brought a lot of players with him in the transfer portal.

Norvell is going to want to open up the passing game and the key will be WR Troy Horton who followed Norvell to the Rams. Horton had 52 receptions for 659 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2021. However, 20 receptions 310 yards, and 3 touchdowns came in his last three games. He'll be the primary target for the Wolf Pack on September 3.

New head coach #2 as Hawaii legend Timmy Chang replaces Todd Graham who went out in ugly fashion. The offense shouldn't be awful, but it needs to find a QB. Chang is going to want to throw the ball as much as possible.

The defense is also a work in progress, but it was already one of the worst in the MWC last season. The one strength the Rainbow Warriors have is in the middle with defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala. He may be able to do enough to impact Michigan's ability to run up the middle, but with a decimated secondary the Wolverines could be throwing all day anyway.

Another bad team with a new coach, but UConn is the worst of the three. Jim Mora is a good coach, but he has his work cut out for him. The Huskies were the worst passing offense in college football in 2021. They couldn't move the ball at all and were atrocious at getting first downs.

Ta'Quan Roberson heads to UConn from Penn State. He saw little action filling in for Sean Clifford and wasn't great in the snaps he had. He does have decent upside, especially as a runner. He will be a good first test from the defensive front.

The Terps finished above .500 in 2021, by far Locksley's best season as a head coach. Maryland put up some big numbers against bad teams but struggled against the better opponents in the Big Ten.

One of those stat fillers is QB Taulia Tagovailoa. Tua's younger brother threw for nearly 4,000 yards in 2021 and has been a trendy pick this offseason to be a breakout player for Maryland. The Wolverine defense shut Taulia down last season, will the new look D do the same?

Despite a blowout in the Big Ten Championship game, Michigan fans continue to not take the Hawkeyes lightly. A game at Kinnick, possibly at night, just brings back too many memories. Despite what Michigan did in Indy, this was a very good Iowa defense. The offense, not so much, but it has to get better for the black and gold.

Back in the secondary for Iowa is Riley Moss. The entire defense was good at turning the ball over last season, and Moss may be their best defender. He was injured last season but is a major threat to take an interception, as he did twice against Indiana in 2021.

The Hoosiers fell back to earth hard in 2021. After a strong Big Ten season during the pandemic shortened 2020 season, the Hoosiers went 2-10 with the worst offense in the conference.

That offense has a new coordinator with former Wolverine Nick Sheridan fired at the end of 2021. It also has new players all over the field. It is hard to pick an X factor because so little is known about who will start at QB, RB, and WR. I am going with TE AJ Barner. Barner doesn't have huge numbers in his time in Bloomington, but he is huge. He moves incredibly quick for a 6'6" 251lbs tight end and with Michigan's linebackers favoring speed over size, I think he could be a popular target come the game.

Penn State appeared to be bouncing back from an awful 2020 campaign with a 5-0 start but rumors of James Franklin's interest in the open position at LSU seemed to correlate with a collapse on the field. The Nittany Lions played Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State close but lost the 4 games by a combined 17 points.

Sean Clifford returns for what feels like his ninth season in Happy Valley, but the X factor is on the defensive side of the ball. Joey Porter Jr. is like a linebacker playing corner. A physical defensive back, he can impact the game at all levels. The potential first-round NFL draft pick will be a nuisance for the Wolverines.

It is so hard to project what the Spartans will be in 2022. They bounced back in a big way with an NY6 bowl berth and of course the comeback win over Michigan. Analytics will tell you MSU's luck factor was the highest in the country last season, and it didn't hurt having Kenneth Walker either. Will their luck run out? Have they found the next Walker in the portal?

The one player MSU has no questions about is WR Jayden Reed. The former Western Michigan Bronco topped 1000 yards and caught 10 touchdowns in 2020. Despite being only 6'0", Reed had multiple high-pointed catches over defensive backs last season. He should be the guy for MSU, especially if they struggle to duplicate success in the run game.

Rutgers gave Michigan fits in the second half of their early game in 2021. The Scarlet Knights are still a program in rebuild mode, but this roster is loaded with Greg Schiano guys. Expectations are up in New Jersey.

The best name in football finalist Aron Cruickshank returns to Rutgers from a torn ACL. Cruickshank is on a real award watch list, the Paul Hornung Award, and should be Rutgers' top receiver if healthy. The former Badger is a big play waiting to happen and will be the primary focus of Michigan's DJ Turner.

As lucky as MSU was in 2021, Nebraska was equally unlucky. Despite finishing with a point differential of 0 in Big Ten play, the Huskers finished 1-8 in the conference. That is almost unbelievable.

Scott Frost returns to Lincoln and for the first time won't have a quarterback named Martinez. Three guys could get a look as a signal-caller, including Texas transfer Casey Thompson. Whoever is behind center will be throwing the ball to LSU transfer Trey Palmer. Palmer is a burner, and if he can put together could be one of the top receivers in the conference.

You can't call 5-7 a great season, but Bret Bielema's return to the Big Ten had some bright spots. What it lacked was consistency, beating Penn State or Minnesota one week, losing to Rutgers another.

Finding consistency starts with finding a quarterback. Illinois has been surprisingly strong with signal callers over the year but hasn't had "the guy" in quite some time. Hopes are high Syracuse Tommy DeVito can be that guy. DeVito posted numbers in 2019 not too far different from that of Cade McNamara's 2021 season. DeVito struggled in limited action the past two seasons behind one of the country's worst offensive lines. Under Bielema the line will be better and so will DeVito.

The Buckeyes are the heavy favorites in the Big Ten heading into the 2022 season. Despite having their playoff hopes crushed in Ann Arbor, Ohio State won an exciting Rose Bowl which helped finish their season on a high note. The Buckeye's problems were on defense, and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been tasked with a quick turnaround.

Gone from Ohio State's offense are dynamic wideouts Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, both selected in the top half of the first round. Back is Jaxon Smith-Njigba who is according to Olave and Wilson, better than each of them. JSN ended up leading OSU in receptions and yards in 2021 and is expected to be one of, if not, the best receivers in all of college football. Buckeyes are optimistic a couple of their former top recruits in the WR room can step up, but there is no way CJ Stroud won't be throwing JSNs way more often than not.

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