Michigan Wolverines 2016 NCAA Football Preview
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Big 10 Conference – East Division
2015 Record – 10-3
ATS – 7-6
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
East Division – #1 (Tie)
Conference – #1 (Tie)
2015 Recap
That was a fine season. In their first season under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines were better on offense, better on defense and finished up with 10 wins and a pummeling of Florida in the Citrus Bowl. Our favorite part of the season was the 3-game stretch that featured THREE straight shutouts. 97-0 in total. That included wins over BYU and Northwestern. Yes, they lost the Ohio St match-up and found a new way to lose a game against Sparty, but overall, it was a job well done.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
One thing that gets lost in the success of last season was the play of QB Jake Rudock. After a tough start at Utah (always understandable) he was very good the remainder of the season and only threw 9 interceptions in almost 400 attempts. The big question for August camp is who ends up as the starting QB ? Will it be Houston transfer John O’Korn or Wilton Speight ? The early favorite may be O’Korn due to his experience and ability run the football as well as MATRICULATE in the passing game. The offense would probably be more explosive with him at QB but we are going to have to wait and see what happens.
The offense is going to be really good if the QB play falls into place. They have a deep and experienced offensive line to pave the way for a decent set of running backs. De’Veon Smith had 753 yards rushing last season and USC transfer Ty Isaac looked good in the spring game.
The weapons in the passing game are excellent. Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh combined for 108 receptions for almost 1500 yards and 14 TDs. Jake Butt is one of the best tight ends in the country (2nd team AA) and is a big match-up problem for almost any defense.
We think the offense is going to shine this season, and can easily see them topping 35 points per game, particularly in light of the pillow-soft schedule that carries them to the Michigan St game at the end of October.
DEFENSE
Michigan’s defense was phenomenal last season ranking 4th overall in total defense allowing 281 yards per game. They struggled a bit in the 2nd half of the season but that is getting picky. The question this season is how they will deal with losing their top three tacklers from 2015 as well as their DC. The good news is that the new defensive coordinator is Don Brown and he did a magical job with Boston College last season (#1 FBS – 254 yards allowed per game) despite the Eagles having a horrid offense that could not stay on the field. There are stars at every level of the defense and it seems very logical to assume that the Wolverines will have an excellent defense again this season.
JUGGERNAUT ALERT – LB/former-DB/KR/PR/Offensive weapon Jabrill Peppers is an amazing athlete and a true 3-way star. This season he moves to LB full-time and should create a lot of havoc on defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One thing we know is that Michigan St fans will be sorry to see punter Blake O’Neill missing from the roster. We are also fairly certain that the Wolverines will be very good on special teams with dangerous return men and a good FG kicker.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Michigan looks loaded. And their two main rivals are introducing a lot of new pieces. And their schedule is nice and easy to start the season which should help get them rolling. Of course the big problem with all of this if you are a handicapper is trying to find value ATS. Even your local grocery store clerk knows that Jim Harbaugh is awesome and Michigan is even more awesome than awesome. You are going to have to pay to take the Wolverines this year.
Overall, we give the WOLVERINES a 6.0 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season. Despite the fact that they are on everyone’s radar to this season, the reality is that they look really good. They may have trouble covering a couple of big spreads early on but they are so strong on both sides of the ball that we think you can take a look at Michigan in their more competitive games and make some paper.
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News
http://bleacherreport.com/michigan-wolverines-football
http://www.freep.com/sports/wolverines/
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/michigan-wolverines
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