Ranking All 10 Games On Michigan's Revised Schedule, In Order Of Difficulty

The Michigan Wolverines' 2020 football schedule has been revised immensely, with the Big Ten revealing all 14 teams' new slates this morning.

The full schedule can be seen below, along with a ranking of all 10 of Michigan's games, beginning with the easiest and working our way down toward the most difficult.

RELATED: By the Numbers: Michigan's new Schedule

RELATED: Thoughts on the Revised Schedule

Despite this being a road contest and Rutgers having a new head coach in Greg Schiano, this is still the easiest game on Michigan's 2020 schedule. U-M has dominated the Scarlet Knights under Jim Harbaugh, winning four of the five matchups by at least 33 points.

Rutgers' running game looks like it could actually be somewhat potent behind the likes of junior Isaih Pacheco and a pair of sophomores in Aaron Young and Kay'Ron Adams, but the Scarlet Knights are still weak at too many other key spots (quarterback, most notably) to potentially compete with the league's top echelon of teams.

Maryland is another team the Maize and Blue have dominated under Harbaugh, winning all five of the matchups since 2015 by at least 21 points. Year one of the Mike Locksley era in College Park was a disaster in 2019 (went 3-9 and lost five games by 31 or more points), and judging by the personnel, year two doesn't look like it's going to be much better.

It's hard to envision a Terrapin offense led by fifth-year senior quarterback Josh Jackson (47.3 completion percentage last year) and a primarily inexperienced group of running backs (senior Tayon Fleet-Davis and a pair of freshmen in Peny Boone and Isaiah Jacobs) having much success moving the ball against the Wolverines at The Big House.

The Spartans will be forced to play in Ann Arbor for a second year in a row, though location didn't matter much in the series from 2015-18 (the road team won every meeting each of those four years).

Michigan State's roster is in pitiful shape heading into Mel Tucker's first year on the job, with significant question marks surrounding the club's quarterback spot, offensive line and entire defensive unit.

The mental aspect encompassing the rivalry has oftentimes given the underdog a puncher's chance in recent years, but that doesn't look to be the case in 2020 when considering how weak MSU is at the majority of its positions.

This could be a tricky game for U-M as the 2020 season-opener, seeing as how Purdue will likely once again have one of the best passing attacks in the country (finished 12th nationally last year in passing yards per game).

The Boilermakers have served as a pest for some of the game's premier programs in recent years (defeated three ranked opponents in 2018, including a 29-point annihilation of then-No. 2 Ohio State), and should have the ability to do so once again in 2020, thanks to a receiving group that is one of the game's best and is headlined by redshirt sophomore Rondale Moore and sophomore David Bell.

Even though U-M's secondary is expected to be lights out this season, it's fair to expect Purdue to move the ball through the air — regardless of who wins the club's starting quarterback job — and hang around in Ann Arbor well into the second half.

Northwestern has more often than not kept its games against Michigan very close in recent years, with the Wolverines winning by eight points or fewer in four of the last five meetings dating back to 2012.

The Wildcats also look to be one of the nation's most improved teams in 2020 following a disastrous 3-9 2019 campaign, thanks to the arrival of fifth-year senior quarterback Peyton Ramsey from Indiana.

Ramsey and a group of running backs led by junior Isaiah Bowser and redshirt sophomore Drake Anderson should vault the Wildcats' offense up significantly from the No. 123 national mark they finished with last year, though there still may not be enough offensive firepower in Evanston for Northwestern to finish in the top half of the Big Ten.

Bloomington had been a difficult place for Michigan (and pretty much the rest of the conference as well) to play in recent years, with all three meetings there from 2010-17 being won by U-M by exactly seven points, and two of the three going into overtime (2015 and 2017).

The Maize and Blue slammed the door shut on that narrative last year, however, dominating a very solid Indiana squad to the tune of 39-14. The Hoosiers' eight wins last season were their most since 1993, and with redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Penix, junior running back Stevie Scott and a stellar receiving unit led by seniors Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle all returning in Bloomington, Indiana should be even better than it was last season and as a result give Michigan a tough test in mid-October.

Minnesota appears to be on a similar level (even without junior receiver Rashod Bateman) to that of last year's 11-win club, thanks to a phenomenal offense that returns redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Morgan, redshirt junior running back Mohamed Ibrahim, redshirt junior wideout Chris Autman-Bell and all five offensive line starters.

The game being in Minneapolis would have placed it higher on the list over the past several months, but the fact there likely won't be fans (or at least very few) diminishes the home field advantage aspect and perhaps won't even provide any.

A game that was once viewed as a tossup should now probably hold a slight edge in Michigan's favor, due to the aforementioned lack of a home field advantage and Bateman's decision not to play in 2020.

The Nittany Lions are extremely talented this season and as a result are being picked by some outlets to make the College Football Playoff, but Michigan should still be viewed as a slight favorite heading into the Sept. 19 showdown.

The Maize and Blue have won each of the last two meetings against Penn State in Ann Arbor by at least 35 points, though it's fair to expect a tightly-contested nail-biter this time around.

A veteran quarterback in redshirt junior Sean Clifford, a deep group of running backs and a receiving group headlined by junior Jahan Dotson will be difficult to stop, but Penn State's defense isn't expected to be elite, and again, the way Michigan has fared against PSU in Ann Arbor under Harbaugh has to be taken into account.

A case could be made that the Badgers are the league's second-best team behind Ohio State, thanks to the return of senior quarterback Jack Coan, a veteran and experienced offensive line, and a defense that will be expected to once again finish top-five in the country (concluded at No. 4 last year).

Wisconsin has been a tough out for Michigan in recent memory (the 2018 blowout at The Big House being one of the few exceptions), and 2020 isn't thought to be any different.

The Badgers' pro-style offensive attack plays right into the hands of defensive coordinator Don Brown's style, but their stingy defense makes them incredibly difficult to score against.

This an easy choice for the No. 1 spot on this list, and it's not even close. The fact there likely won't be any fans in Columbus, however, evens the playing field a bit and gives U-M a better chance of winning this game than originally thought.

The Buckeyes are still the most talented and best team in the conference, though, and it will take a herculean effort for Michigan to come away with the win; it may be more feasible than some realize, however, especially if OSU isn't quite clicking on all cylinders yet at that juncture in late-October.

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