Michigan Football: Top-Five Toughest Games In 2023

After two straight Big Ten championships and two straight trips to the College Football Playoff, the expectation in Ann Arbor is now a national championship. The Wolverines return over 80 percent of their production from the 2022 season, including a veteran quarterback in JJ McCarthy, an offensive line that is loaded with NFL talent, and the top running back duo in the country with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.

Defensively, Michigan is poised to have another dominant season. With experience and depth at every single position, ESPN recently ranked the Wolverines defense No. 2 overall heading into the 2023 season - trailing only last year's national champion Georgia.

Although a national championship is certainly a very realistic possibility for Michigan in 2023, the Wolverines will need to navigate a tricky Big Ten schedule first. Here are the top-five most difficult games for Michigan in 2023:

5. at Minnesota

Michigan will make the trip to Minneapolis in week six for a road matchup with the Golden Gophers, the second-straight road game for the Wolverines after facing Nebraska a week earlier.

Last year, Minnesota finished the season with a 9-4 overall record, including a 5-2 record at home. Although Minnesota is replacing a veteran quarterback in Tanner Morgan, redshirt sophomore Athan kaliakmanis started five of the 11 games he played in last season. The Golden Gophers also have a solid group of receivers, including a 6-7 tight end who can be a matchup nightmare.

4. at Maryland

The Terps came into Michigan Stadium last season and gave the Wolverines a full four-quarter battle, ultimately losing the game by a score of 34-27. In spite of the early season loss to Michigan, Maryland would go on to have a solid 8-5 season - including a 5-2 record in College Park.

Led by veteran quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland will certainly be eager to spoil Michigan's championship hopes when the Wolverines come to town in Week 11.

3. at Nebraska

Michigan's trip to Lincoln (NE) in Week 5 will be the first road game for Wolverines of the 2023 season.

After the Cornhuskers finished with one of the worst records in the Big Ten last season (4-8 overall), Nebraska leadership upgraded its head coaching position from Scott Frost to Matt Rhule.

At quarterback, Nebraska will likely roll with Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims - who finished with over 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns through the air during his three year career at GT. He also added another 1,152 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground during that same span.

The last time the Wolverines played a road game against Nebraska (2021), they escaped with a 3-point win. Michigan will be favored once again, but a game in Lincoln is rarely an easy trip for the visiting team.

2. Ohio State

Not much needs to be said about this one. It's the greatest rivalry in all of sports, and it returns to Ann Arbor in 2023. After two decades of dominance by the Buckeyes, the Wolverines are now riding a two-game winning streak - including a dominant win over Ohio State in Columbus last season.

There's absolutely no question that Ohio State has spent a lot of time thinking about the Wolverines planting that Block M flag at mid-field in the Horseshoe last year, and they'll be looking to return the favor in Ann Arbor this year.

If everything goes according to plan, this will be one of the top games of the entire 2023 college football season.

1. at Penn State

The Wolverines got a bit of good news earlier this year when it was announced that the game in Happy Valley was a noon kickoff, avoiding what is unquestionably one of the toughest environments in all of college football - a white out.

Even so, Penn State figures to be a legitimate threat to both Michigan and Ohio State when it comes to capturing the Big Ten East title. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar appeared in 10 games during his freshman season, completing 35-of-60 attempts for 344 yards and four touchdowns.

The Nittany Lions also have a pair of talented running backs, a veteran offensive line, and a solid defensive unit.

Given the environment, the time of year, and the quality of the opponent, this will likely be Michigan's toughest test of the 2023 regular season.