Can you believe that this was Jim Harbaugh's eighth season as Michigan's head coach? It seems like just yesterday he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. 2022 was the best season they have had yet under Harbaugh, as the Wolverines managed to go undefeated on the year at 12-0. They went 9-0 in the Big-10 conference, obviously, and even managed to take down Ohio State for the second straight year in a row. That had been the knock on Harbaugh in his tenure with Michigan, and he has certainly changed minds by winning the Big-10 East two consecutive years in a row.
The Wolverines defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big-10 championship to make it back-to-back Big-10 Championship wins. That put them in the CFP as the No. 2 seed behind Georgia, and they were tasked with taking on No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately, their magical season would end here, as they lost in the CFP Semi-final to the Horned Frogs 51-45.
With Harbaugh still at the helm despite a million rumors that he was going to make his return to the NFL for a head coaching gig, the Wolverines figure to be right back towards the top of the college football standings come 2023. They bring back their starting QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum, who won the best running back award in 2022. The offense should once again be a very difficult task for opposing defenses to take on, but it's the defense where the concern is going to lie for the Wolverines. They let up 51 points to the Horned Frogs in that loss in the CFP Semifinal, and it hasn't really improved all that much from last year's unit.
Michigan is currently fourth on the DraftKings Sportsbook odds board to win the CFP Championship at +850, so we are getting almost 9/1 odds here on the Wolverines.
The schedule next year once again shouldn't be too bad outside of dates with Ohio State and Penn State, easily the two best teams in the Big-10 outside of them. Michigan State always proves to be a tough in-state rivalry, so you can't count them out completely.
I am a bit down on Michigan this season, as I don't think they can manage to beat Ohio State three years in a row. I also don't believe in that defense of theirs that has some serious holes in it and can be exploited by explosive offenses. However, they are still going to be a force to be reckoned with next season, and they should easily beat everyone besides the three teams I mentioned above. However, I don't see another CFP appearance for them in 2023.
Michigan football is the college football program of the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Here is some general information about Michigan football:
Overall, Michigan football is one of the most storied and successful programs in college football history, with a passionate fan base and a proud tradition of excellence both on and off the field.