The Michigan Wolverines have their work cut out for them in the seventh year of the Jim Harbaugh era. There is a lot of newness within the program on both sides of the ball, but there really is not a ton of time to let things slowly develop and percolate. They have to find a way to win games now, which has the pressure cooker on everyone during fall camp.
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis theoretically has everything he needs to pull together an efficient and effective offense. The quarterback room is filled with unmined talent. The running backs are deep and skilled up and down the depth chart. The wide receivers have playmaking ability that has been untapped. There’s plenty of talent on the offensive line. They might have to lead the way.
On the other hand, Michigan’s offense has had troubles with consistency the last few seasons. Typically when they have been in the conversation for big things, the defense has led the way. Mike Macdonald has a lot of work to do in installing a new system, but they seem deadset on being more versatile and keeping things simple. Might that be all it takes to make the defense comfortable after a year where it looked like it was in chaos? Perhaps a switch could be flipped there.
I’m of the opinion that this offense is going to have to lead the way for Michigan to get back to the 9-10 win range. The defense will struggle early, but settle in down the stretch. The offense has to be ready to go from day one.
Who do you think leads the way this year? Vote in our poll and sound off in the comments below.