Michigan Will Be Better In 2021, But Will It Be Enough?

Trying to predict the outcome of Michigan's 2021 record is about as easy as trying to predict the weather in Michigan. Much like the weather, the Wolverines can often come out of nowhere and surprise you - whether that's in a good way or a bad way is another story.

Michigan will play six games before entering the bye-week in mid-October, closing out the first half of the schedule at Wisconsin and at Nebraska. By the time the Wolverines emerge from the bye-week, they'll be facing an uphill battle that will truly test how far they've come since that awful 2020 season.

After welcoming Northwestern into the Big House on Oct. 23, Michigan's next three games will be against teams that it lost to in 2020 - including at Michigan State (Oct. 30), Indiana (Nov. 6) and at Penn State (Nov. 13). As if that three-game stretch isn't hard enough, the Wolverines will take a trip out east to play a sneaky Maryland team on Nov. 20 before returning home to face the Buckeyes on Nov. 27 - a team that Jim Harbaugh has failed to beat in his first five attempts.

Given the layout of the schedule, the new staff and the multiple uncertainties surrounding the Michigan roster, anything north of nine wins would have to be considered a big success for Harbaugh in year seven - regardless of how or where those nine wins occur. However, it is also likely that Michigan could easily find itself at six or seven wins by the time the regular season comes to a close.

Though there are several question on the offensive side of the ball, the new-look defense will likely determine the success of Michigan's season in 2021. The Wolverine defense struggled mightily in 2020, finishing in the bottom half of college football in nearly every statistical category. Out of 127 teams, Michigan finished No. 96 in passing yards allowed, No. 79 in rushing yards allowed and No. 89 in total defense. It was the worst defensive performance of the Harbaugh era, leading to the firing of defensive coordinator Don Brown after five seasons.

It remains to be seen what the defense will look like under new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, but there does seem to be some excitement among the staff and the players that this new defensive philosophy will fix much of what went wrong on that side of the ball in previous years.

With that being said, here's how I think it's going to shake out in 2021:

Week 1: Western Michigan, W, 1-0

Week 2: Washington, W, 2-0

Week 3: Northern Illinois University, W, 3-0

Week 4: Rutgers, W, 4-0

Week 5: at Wisconsin, L, 4-1

Week 6: at Nebraska, W, 5-1

BYE

Week 7: Northwestern, W, 6-1

Week 8: at Michigan State, W, 7-1

Week 9: Indiana, W, 8-1

Week 10: at Penn State, L, 8-2

Week 11: at Maryland, W, 9-2

Week 12: Ohio State, L, 9-3

If Michigan does end up notching nine wins in year seven under Jim Harbaugh, you really have to wonder how it would be received by a Michigan fan base that is beyond impatient - especially if Ohio State isn't included within those nine wins. Do win totals even matter at this point, or are all eyes (and judgement) now squarely on that last weekend in November?

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