2020 Could Be Perfect Opportunity For Jim Harbaugh To Exceed Status Quo

The date is Saturday, Oct. 31. Michigan is about to open its home slate with a night game against Michigan State. Both Pioneer High School's parking lot and the Ann Arbor Golf & Outing Club are empty, devoid of any raucous fan tailgating experience.

Quite a few aspects of that scenario sound more than a bit 'off,' right?

That is the reality Michigan is faced with heading into the 2020 season. Just to get to this point, U-M has had to adjust its training procedure, players have had to sacrifice otherwise typical social engagements and the entire Michigan football program has had to endure the rollercoaster of the Big Ten's scheduling debacle.

Actually envisioning the season without fans, though, is a somber look at what is to come from an off-field perspective. On the field, the Wolverines are replacing around 14 starters depending on which week's depth chart from 2019 is utilized, and that does not exactly inspire confidence either.

However, if 2020 has taught any lesson, it is to expect the unexpected. It is certainly possible that Joe Milton starts the year off with a big outing against Minnesota. Michigan's running game, which will be bolstered by three experienced athletes in Chris Evans, Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins, could pick right back up with another productive rushing performance. Michigan's front seven, particularly Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson, could get home and hit Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan with regularity. All of these outcomes are on the table.

Though a dominant Week 1 road win for Jim Harbaugh's team in prime time may be a bit surprising, it would be perfectly in line with the 2020 script. A season-opening win over a ranked opponent-- in a rivalry game, no less-- would unequivocally provide Michigan with a dose of momentum moving forward.

After that, Michigan State is on the schedule for Week 2, and given that program's turnover and coaching change, the Wolverines could quickly find themselves at 2-0 and looking to make some noise as one of the Big Ten's better programs this season.

Now, U-M needs to produce on the field right away for that hypothetical scenario to play itself out, but Harbaugh's program has continually shared anxious messages about playing this season. After those two games, the Wolverines head to Indiana to face a Hoosiers team that has not beaten Michigan in over three decades. That could very easily wind up as a win with U-M at 3-0 and returning home to host Wisconsin, a program whose starting quarterback, Jack Coan, has a surgically repaired foot.

While this is a big if, a perfect four-game winning streak is feasible if Michigan takes care of business early on. From that point, who is to say that the Wolverines don't run into a team that is struggling from a depth perspective due to COVID-19? That seems more likely than unlikely at this point with schools like Florida undergoing massive swaths of positive test results.

Even though life as a Michigan football fan has been filled with deflating letdowns and without an ability to win the big game in recent years, if there is ever a season to reverse that proverbial curse, that year is 2020. Coach Harbaugh has kept his team focused throughout this turbulent time, and the squad has been diligent in its adherence to COVID-19 protocols and its consistent practice schedule.

All together, this seems like a rather fortuitous year, one in which curveballs will be treated more like change ups, and it could very well be the year Jim Harbaugh hits a home run by Michigan football standards this season.

What do you think will happen for Michigan in 2020? How far can the Wolverines go this season? Let us know!

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