Michigan is entering the 2022 season in unfamiliar territory, instead of being the hunter, the Wolverines are now the hunted.
With the season-opener just weeks away, the slate gets wiped clean and all that matters is what the Wolverines will do on the field as it attempts to defend the Big Ten Championship it won in 2021.
For a senior like Ronnie Bell, nothing has changed. A new season means a new opportunity for the current team to make a name for itself and not rest on its laurels with what happened last season.
"I feel like this season the chip is just as big as it's ever been," Bell said during his recent appearance on the Inside the Trenches podcast. "I think that's the only way to approach it. Especially now there being a target because of the success we had last year. The big thing a lot of guys have accepted and understood is that this isn't last year. This is our team, this is a new team and we need to do what we need to do. We need to make a name for ourselves."
U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned during Big Ten Media Days that the program had goals of beating the likes of Michigan State and Ohio State in the same season. It's not just the headman that holds those beliefs, either.
That's something that is discussed every second of the day for the players.
"I feel like it's a daily thing that comes up because that is the goal and that is what's in front of us," Bell said of beating the Spartans and Buckeyes. "To accomplish all four of those goals, those are the two that have to happen. I feel like it's a daily thing."
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