Michigan football: Wolverines avoiding regression with effort and energy

While the offseason attention is back on Ohio State, which is more than equipped to win a title, national pundits continue to count out an encore performance from the Wolverines in 2022.

U-M was unranked in last preseason's polls with bottom-barrel expectations, even for a team from the Jim Harbaugh era, which hit a plateau in 2020 when the team went 2-4 in the shortened season.

This time last year, Harbaugh's seat was in flames in the public eye, and the program needed a recovery, despite the former 49ers coach having a far better stint than the two coaches before him.

Using the Buckeyes as the team's primary motivation, the Wolverines won The Game only to be knocked around by Georgia in the national semifinal.

While last year's 12-2 record with a win over Ohio State and a Big Ten title was a massive leap for the program, the blowout loss to the Bulldogs stings the program like the loss to OSU in 2020.

The Wolverines enter 2022 as a consensus top 10 team, who many predict will win all but one game.

Externally, many believe Michigan hit its peak last year, and 2022 is all about Ohio State and everybody else.

Internally, last year was a turning point for a group of upperclassmen who believe they will revolutionize the program the same way last year's team did.

Despite a boatload of success that made fall camp this year a night-and-day difference compared to last, there's no sign of complacency or lack of motivation for this year's edition of Michigan football.

"Our goals for the season are different. Last year was more about beating our rivals. This year, we want it all. We want to beat our rivals, go to the Big Ten championship, go to the playoffs," Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson said to the media Tuesday evening. "We want to come for it all. We don't want to be what old Michigan was. We want to set a new standard."

Are you confused about what Wilson meant by "old Michigan"?

Since 2000, only three U-M teams have had two losses or less, and the 2021 team played one more game (14) than the others.

They're also the first team since 2004 to win a Big Ten championship, the first to beat Ohio State in eight years, and the first to go to the College Football Playoff in program history.

So, no, Wilson isn't wrong. This group is, indeed, quite different from those before it, and they know it.

"It's no surprise that we haven't done that well in the past years, and we want to take our game up here," Wilson said. "We want to be considered one of the best when we leave this program."

What did it take last year to turn that corner? And what will it take this year to turn another?

"Effort and energy. When I was a freshman, it always felt like we were working hard. But, you know, just the difference in the amount of energy and the guys really want to (be there). It's just different. You can't even explain it," Wilson said. "People talk shit to each other. We get upset over plays. Nobody likes to lose. Everyone is a sore loser. It's competitive."

Once again, the Wolverines are finding fuel from the previous year's losses.

No, it's not purely a "beat Ohio State" motivation, but it has that same drive and could have the same impact as last year's identity. Except that this time, they've already proven they can get there.

Can they get back there and flip the script once more, though? We'll have to wait and see.

Michigan kicks off against Colorado State in 11 days.

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