Michigan Football 2021: An Early Game-By-Game Prediction
The expectations for the Michigan Football program vary greatly depending on who you ask. While some have already determined that 2021 will be yet another rebuilding year for Jim Harbaugh (code for not very successful), others believe that the expectations are the same as they are every year - beat Ohio State and win the Big Ten.
Though it’s anybody’s guess on what Jim Harbaugh himself actually expects from the 2021 season, he made his goals quite clear during a conference last month: win the Big Ten title and a National Championship. While those goals are certainly lofty to say the least, the reality is that a goal of anything less than championships would be unacceptable at the University of Michigan.
With that, I take a look at Michigan’s 2021 schedule and determine a fair - yet realistic - expectation for the season.
Week One: Western Michigan Broncos (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
It will be the eighth meeting between Michigan and Western Michigan when they meet at the BIg House on September 4th - with the Wolverines currently holding a 7-0 record against the Broncos.
Result: W
Record: 1-0
Week Two: Washington Huskies (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
The last time these two programs met was back in 2002 as Michigan squeaked out a two-point win in Ann Arbor. Though Michigan has the edge on head-to-head all time (7-5), the Huskies have a winning record against the Wolverines dating back to 1980 (4-3). Washington returns most of its talent on the offensive side of the ball and should prove to be a formidable early season opponent for Harbaugh and Michigan. At the end of the day, this one comes down to location.
Result: W
Record: 2-0
Week Three: Northern Illinois University (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
This will be just the second meeting between Michigan and Northern Illinois, with the Wolverines currently owning a 1-0 record against the Huskies. The two teams first met back in 2005.
Result: W
Record: 3-0
Week Four: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Last year's contest between Michigan and Rutgers required three overtimes to settle it. Fortunately, Michigan was able to avoid a major upset on the road in Piscataway - thanks in large part to the heroics of quarterback Cade McNamara. Don’t expect the 2021 meeting to be as much of a nail-biter in Ann Arbor.
Result: W
Record: 4-0
Week Five: Wisconsin Badgers (Madison, Wis.)
Not only did Michigan lose to Wisconsin in 2020, they did so in historic fashion. In addition to a humiliating 49-11 loss at home in the Big House, the Wolverines managed to set a record for the largest halftime deficit in Michigan Stadium history - trailing the Badgers 28-0 at the half. What’s worse is that Wisconsin had missed several weeks of action prior to the game as a result of COVID issues within the program. In spite of the long layoff, the Badgers were able to easily dispose of the Wolverines. As it stands, Jim Harbaugh currently has a losing record against Wisconsin (2-3) that includes an 0-2 record in Madison. Unfortunately, I don’t expect that record to improve in 2021.
Result: L
Record: 4-1
Week Six: Nebraska Cornhuskers (Lincoln, Neb.)
Michigan and Nebraska have met just one time during the Harbaugh era, resulting in a blowout home win for the Wolverines by a score of 56-10. The Cornhuskers return an experienced quarterback in Adrian Martinez, along with several other skill players on the offensive side of the ball. Though Nebraska will likely be slightly improved from 2020, fourth year head coach Scott Frost is still searching for his first winning record since arriving back in Lincoln. Michigan wins, but it doesn’t come easy.
Result: W
Record: 5-1
Week Seven: Northwestern Wildcats (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
The Wolverines will be fresh off of a bye-week when they welcome the Northwestern Wildcats to Ann Arbor. Michigan has won six straight against Northwestern dating back to 2011 and Jim Harbaugh is 2-0 against Pat Fitzgerald. While many Big Ten programs struggled during the 2020 season (Michigan included), the Wildcats put together a solid season and finished the year with a 7-2 record - including big wins against Wisconsin and Auburn. If this game were taking place in Evanston, I might have to rethink the result.
Result: W
Record: 6-1
Week Eight: Michigan State Spartans (East Lansing, Mich.)
Michigan welcomed Michigan State into the Big House in 2020 as a 21-point favorite. In spite of being a heavy underdog, first-year head coach Mel Tucker had the Spartans ready - handing Harbaugh what was likely one of the worst losses of his Michigan coaching career. The rivalry shifts back to East Lansing in 2021 and puts all of the pressure back on Michigan to avoid another upset.
Result: W
Record: 7-1
Week Nine: Indiana Hoosiers (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Indiana ended a 24-game, 33 year losing streak to Michigan in 2020. Though the loss was shocking at the time, the Hoosiers proved to be one of the better teams in the Big Ten conference last season - defeating teams like Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin en route to a 6-2 record. The Hoosiers also nearly knocked off Ohio State, a team that would go on to win the conference championship and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Thanks to head coach Tom Allen, the Hoosiers have transitioned from Big Ten punching bag to a formidable opponent in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Again, this one comes down to location.
Result: W
Record: 8-1
Week Ten: Penn State Nittany Lions (University Park, Pa.)
With Penn State in the midst of its worst start in program history (0-5), the Nittany Lions walked into the Big House and defeated Michigan comfortably. Penn State will likely be nothing special in 2021, but they do return an experienced quarterback in Sean Clifford and wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Additionally, Penn State has won three of the last four meetings against Michigan - including the last two. Until the Wolverines can change the narrative and prove they can finish strong (particularly on the road), I expect 2021 to be more of the same.
Result: L
Record: 8-2
Week Eleven: Maryland Terrapins (College Park, Md.)
Though Harbaugh holds a 5-0 record against Maryland, the Terrapins are one of those teams that can surprise you on any given Saturday. Junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returns after showing tremendous promise in 2020 during his sophomore year, finishing as an All-Big Ten honorable mention. Michigan should win this game, but I think they stumble at least once during the 2021 season when they shouldn’t - and this is that time.
Result: L
Record: 8-3
Week Twelve: Ohio State Buckeyes (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
There’s not much that needs to be said about this one. We know the numbers and we know the records. Prove it.
Result: L
Record 8-4
