Hooray for football!

After a long off-season of satellite camp debates, subtweets, a new apparel launch and more, real games are upon us.

Jim Harbaugh’s seventh-ranked Michigan Wolverines enter the season as one of the team’s to watch in college football. They are expected to a contend for a conference title and perhaps even more.

The first step comes against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0-1), who have a game under their belts already having lost to California in Australia last week and travel another 9,000-plus miles to play in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Michigan should not face much of a challenge on their 2016 debut, but there are a fair amount of questions that will be answered as soon as the Wolverines hit the field.

The biggest is at quarterback, where redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight seems all but officially the starter. John O’Korn and Shane Morris were also in the mix. To see who takes the field as the first-team signal caller is probably the most drama that Saturday’s game will generate.

The Wolverines still have questions on the offensive line, but return an experienced group that will look to push around some of these easier opponents earlier on their schedule. Look for Michigan to defer to their ground game and get guys like De’Veon Smith and Ty Isaac going early.

Hawaii has some solid playmakers in space, but Michigan’s defense is far too talented to give up much. This is not the week for them to be tested all that much.

Prediction: There are going to be a lot of great games this weekend that are competitive. This will not be one of those. Michigan 49, Hawaii 6

Game Info

Teams: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0-1) vs. No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (0-0)

Date: September 3rd, 2016

Location: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. (107,601)

Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET

Television: ESPN/WatchESPN App

Radio: Michigan/IMG Sports Network (for a list of affiliates, click here)

Spread: Michigan -40.5, O/U 54.5

Fun Facts

• Michael Jordan will serve as Michigan’s honorary captain. The athletic department switched to Nike on Aug. 1 and became the first football program to be outfitted by the Jordan brand.
• Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Dr. Jerry Punch will be on the call for ESPN.
• Michigan is 111-22-3 in season opening games.
• This is the third meeting between Michigan and Hawaii. The Wolverines have won both previous matchups. Jim Harbaugh quarterbacked them to a 27-10 win in 1986 and the 1998 squad beat the Warriors 48-17.
• Hawaii is flying over 9,000 miles to take on the Wolverines and will have flown 19,060 miles before their first home game.
• Harbaugh is 9-3 in season openers as a head football coach. All three of those losses came in his first season on the job in college (San Diego, Stanford, Michigan).
• Michigan has not opened the season against the Mountain West Conference since 1964, where they beat Air Force 35-0. They are 5-1 against the conference overall and 8-0 against teams that currently comprise the MWC.

Hitting the Links: MnB’s Michigan vs. Hawaii Coverage

9-1: The Michigan Man Podcast 321: Hawaii Visitors Edition

9-1: Hawaii is Flying 9,530 Miles to Play Michigan

9-1: S&P+ Projects the Michigan-Hawaii Score

9-1: Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A w/ Mountain West Connection

8-31: Getting to Know Michigan’s Week 1 Opponent: Hawaii

8-31: Inside the Numbers: 2016 is the Year for Michigan to be Champions

8-30: The Michigan Man Podcast 320: Jamie Morris Joins the Show

8-30: Betting the Big Ten: Week 1

8-30: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh Knows the Starting Quarterback

8-30: Michigan Football: Most Fascinating Storylines of 2016

8-29: What We Learned: The 2016 Offseason

8-29: The 2016 Michigan Football Preseason Roundtable

Week One College Football TV Schedule