The 2019 Michigan Wolverines football season is finally upon us, and there's plenty to be excited about. For the first time in the years, U-M is predicted to win the Big Ten championship.
It would be the Wolverines' first since 2004, and let's be honest — if you were old enough to be a fan back then, you never would have believed it would be at least 15 years before Michigan won another one.
The lack of a succession plan, some bad luck and a number of bad hires put the program behind the eight ball for a bit, and head coach Jim Harbaugh has slowly but surely dug the Wolverines out. He's won 10 games in three of his four years, been literally inches away from a title game, had too many quarterback injuries to count ... and yet finally seems to be in position to get this program over the hump to win the Big Ten East.
There are no guarantees, of course. But Ohio State finally has a coach who seems to have integrity — that didn't work so well for them in the years before the sold their souls, or in the year in between (2011) — and rival MSU's run of good fortune seems to be just about over.
Penn State under James Franklin is a nine-win program, Indiana will continue to be an annoying speed bump and Rutgers ... well, Commissioner Jim Delany's parting gift to the conference should be to take them with him when he retires next year.
But the talking ends Saturday, and it's time for U-M to back up its coach's words that the Wolverines should be the Big Ten favorite.
Westphalia, Mich. native Austin Fox claims to have won last year's edition of staff picks (for the record, he was the only one keeping score, so we aren't really sure). He was awarded the key to the nearby city of Fowler for his efforts, along with a case of Busch Light.
"This is the greatest day of my life," he said after his brother presented him with the latter ... and we believe him.
This week's winner receives the right to play again in the future.
The picks:
CHRIS BALAS: Is this the year Michigan puts it all together and gets the breaks needed to win a title? It sure feels like it ... but we won't learn much from Saturday's game. The Wolverines are better at every position and should roll. Michigan 48, Middle Tennessee State 6
JOHN BORTON: Middle Tennessee State pulled the biggest basketball upset in NCAA Tournament history, the No. 15 seed taking out No. 2 seed Michigan State in 2016. For that reason alone, the Blue Raiders might catch a bit of a break from the 110,000-plus that will pack Michigan Stadium for the Wolverines’ season opener. One the field … not so much. It’s Blue Raiders versus blue road graders, with a point to prove. Michigan 52, Middle Tennessee State 9
AUSTIN FOX: This one has blowout written all over it, with the 34.5-point spread appearing to be way too low. The most intriguing aspect surrounding this game isn’t necessarily how much Michigan will win by, but how Jim Harbaugh chooses to handle his quarterback situation. Will Dylan McCaffrey and/or Joe Milton see snaps while the game is still in doubt, or will he let Shea Patterson run the show until the Wolverines have built a commanding lead? The running backs will be another group to keep a close eye on, specifically how the carries are divided up among Tru Wilson, Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner. This one should be over by halftime on Saturday night. Michigan 54, Middle Tennessee State 10
EJ HOLLAND: Michigan should win big against an inferior opponent. Michigan 41, Middle Tennessee State 6
DOUG SKENE: We finally get to see Michigan’s new base offense with no FB and fewer TEs on the field. I look for lots of zone blocking from the offensive line as the Run/Pass Option plays try to show the new “Speed in Space” skill sets of this talented WR group. I expect the Michgan defense to play its base press/man coverage and style that Don Brown has had success with. I don’t expect to see the zone coverage change ups until later in the season when far more talented teams take advantage of the aggressive press/man. It should be interesting until the middle of the third quarter. Michigan 42, Middle Tennessee State 10
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