It is finally here. The 2022 Michigan football season.

Camp has answered some questions for us, the depth chart is taking shape, but many still questions still need to be answered.

With actual games finally upon us, these are the five biggest questions for the Michigan Wolverines heading into the 2022 season.

Harbaugh dropped a bomb Saturday night when he announced on In the Trenches with Jon Jansen that Michigan's plan for the quarterback competition was to give each player a start, with Cade McNamara leading the Wolverines against Colorado State and JJ McCarthy getting his first start against Hawaii.

It has been the topic of the entire offseason and dominated a lot of the chatter in fall camp. With not enough separation between the two, Harbaugh now wants to see how that translates to the field.

"In totality, it's neck-and-neck as far as what they've done in practice," Harbaugh said. "You need to see it in the game. That's where it really separates. Points per drive is the thing you look the closest at. The situations, red zone efficiency, two-minute efficiency, and third-down efficiency. That really needs, in my opinion, to be played out in the ball games as for who the quarterback that is going to give us the best opportunity by the time we get to that third game, fourth game."

The biggest takeaways here are Harbaugh truly believes Michigan can win a Championship with either quarterback and this isn't one of those "if you have two you have none" situations. This also feels like Michigan knows what they want this offense to be and is willing to settle on a starter and backup and not a two-QB system like we may have expected.

Whoever starts at quarterback will be the player that Michigan feels makes the offense run best and gives Michigan the best chance to win. We are where this all began, but now we know how it will be settled.

READ: MBR Exclusive: Phil Steele on Michigan QB competition

It is fair to assume this question may need question one answered first, but maybe we are in a chicken or the egg scenario. This Michigan offensive staff led by Matt Weiss and Sherrone Moore knows what it wants to accomplish in 2022. Each offensive coordinator is smart and innovative, and each knows that efficiency and execution will be the key.

Michigan has its deepest offensive group I can remember. Whether it is a potentially improved Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line. The best in the country RB duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. The 10-deep wide receiver room is led by five #1 receivers and a freak show freshmen class ready to contribute. Or the sneaky deep tight end group led by two Mackey Award Watch List members.

This will always be a run-first offense under Jim Harbaugh, but this staff that arrived in 2021 has dedicated itself to building its scheme around the strengths of its roster. There will be Ravens' pistol schemes, 00's era Oklahoma pin and pull, and maybe some West Coast style passing to alleviate the loss of Hassan Haskins. The balance of the offense and its ability to repeat as an explosive offense will be key.

I think this staff knows this should be the best offensive season in Michigan history, but time will tell exactly what that looks like.

Another well-discussed topic of the offseason has been replacing the pass rush lost in departing edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.

Hutch and Ojabo were responsible for 74% of the team's sacks in 2021. It is important to remember that was by design. Again, this is a staff that wants to lean into its strengths, and having two first-round talents at the edge is something they were not going to waste.

The defense is going to look very similar under Jesse Minter because he comes from the same scheme as Mike Macdonald, but it is also going to be different. Minter is a secondary coach who is also innovative with his ideas. But also, the roster has changed, meaning the strengths have too. Minter leans to pass coverage sacks and DJ Turner, Gemon Green, and Mike Sainristil could play a huge role in helping this new crop of edge rushers get to the quarterback. Also, linebacker blitzes from a group led by Junior Colson will be something to watch.

It has been a competitive fall camp and a group of edge rushers is starting to come into focus.

The leaders are not shocking, Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw, and Jaylen Harrell are the "starters". Behind them, Braiden McGregor, TJ Guy, Julius Welschof, and late transfer Eyabi Anoma will all get playing time early in the season through rotations.

Maybe it will be a committee approach, maybe a player breaks out from the group, or maybe players start to find situational-dependent roles, but Michigan will find an answer among this deep group.

The best part of the Minter hire is the scheme that was installed under Macdonald continues, so the learning curve is shortened for the players looking to fill the big shoes of Hutch and Ojabo. Morris, Upshaw, and Harrell saw the field a lot in 2021 and bring enough experience that a huge leap from any or all is not unfathomable.

READ: Jim Harbaugh reveals depth chart, standouts on defensive line

With the impact the pandemic had on high school football seasons across the country, we knew there would be plenty of underrated recruits found in the 2022 class. This felt like a huge advantage for Michigan under Jim Harbaugh has consistently found lower-rated prospects other programs missed and developed them into high contributors.

It's early, but this 2022 class is shaking out to look like all killer and no filler.

Defensive back Will Johnson was no sleeper, but is already a top 4 corner and pushing starting CB2 Gemon Green. Keon Sabb has shown his versatility throughout camp and will see the field this season.

Along the defensive line Mason Graham, who was one of the better players in California has been named a starter by Jim Harbaugh. Graham and fellow DT Kenneth Grant could have been five stars in a different world. Those two with Derrick Moore showed up to Ann Arbor physically ahead of schedule and each could contribute this season.

The freak show wide receiver group has been stellar in the fall and Darrius Clemons has found himself in the top 6 rotation. Tyler Morris and Amorion Walker each have elite talent but may have to wait behind the loaded veteran group.

Freshman RB CJ Stokes has been named RB3 by Jim Harbaugh. With a schedule that features some soft spots, Stokes could get lots of action early and potentially position himself for a role similar to what Donovan Edwards had late in the 2021 season.

Linebacker depth could come into question and another crop of three in Deuce Spurlock, Micah Pollard, and Jimmy Rolder look poised to potentially crack the two-deep and be contributors this season. It isn't fair to expect a Junior Colson like freshman year from any of these players, but they have all shown they are good enough to make an impact which is tough to do as a linebacker.

This is a very good class that could far outplay its rankings. We've just touched the surface. Which player have I not mentioned could be 2022's version of Rod Moore?

Every small question leads to the biggest question.

Is Michigan back?

After a disastrous 2020, Jim Harbaugh made some big changes. In his own life and in his program. A complete culture shift that began with younger and innovative coaching staff. Led by a group of veteran players like Aidan Hutchinson, Ronnie Bell, Josh Ross, Hassan Haskins, and Cade McNamara. From the start, Michigan said it out loud, beat Ohio State or die trying.

2021 was more than a rebound, more than redemption, more than relief, it was complete validation. A checklist of knocks on Harbaugh and his program were checked off one by one throughout the season.

Winning as an underdog, winning a big game on the road, beating the Buckeyes, getting to Indianapolis, winning the Big Ten, getting to the college football playoff. Michigan got to where Jim Harbaugh wanted to bring it, but is it there to stay?

While Michigan has loads of returning talent, the leadership group that led the culture change is gone aside from Bell and McNamara. Cade has taken the torch and led well throughout the offseason, while others like his fellow captains Erick All, Mazi Smith, and Mike Sainristil are working to take their steps as leaders.

Everything Michigan accomplished in 2021 will be remembered, a destiny season of sorts. For the trajectory of the program if Michigan fails to repeat what it has built then it could be remembered as an anomaly. To the Wolverines' credit, they know this and aren't shying away from it. They have been vocal about the need to beat the in-state rival Spartans. To once again be in a position to win the division when they head to Columbus this November. They won't need to win the Big Ten again necessarily, but they'll need to be serious contenders. With a team this deep on offense and a favorable schedule, an 8-4 season with losses to rivals will reset the narrative on Michigan and Jim Harbaugh.

It is hard to win Championships, but it is even harder to defend them. Michigan is now hunted and what they accomplish in 2022 will help determine if they are indeed back for good.

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