Michigan Wolverines 2022 Big Ten Preview & Season Total Over/Under

With bad reviews pouring in from critics and doubt oozing from the fanbase, Jim Harbaugh had the season everyone had been waiting for when he was introduced on December 30, 2014. After finally breaking through to beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, and advance to the College Football Playoffs, what do the Michigan Wolverines do for an encore? How they perform in 2022 will indicate whether last season’s success was a harbinger of things to come, a second stanza for the headman, or simply a peak season of the Harbaugh era.Michigan Wolverines Breakdown

2021 Record: 12-2 (8-1); Big Ten Finish: 1st in B1G East (Big Ten Champs)

A.P. Poll: No. 6 | Coaches Poll: No. 6 | PFF: No. 5 | SP+: No. 4

Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh: 61-24 (42-17) | Overall: 111-51

Co-Offensive Coordinators: Sherrone Moore (1st Year; 5th w/ UM), Matt Weiss (1st Year; 2nd w/ UM)

Defensive Coordinator: Jesse Minter (1st Year)

National Championship Odds: +5000

B1G Championship Odds: +800

Win 10 Games: -125

Regular Season Wins: OVER 9.5 -125 | UNDER 9.5 +105

Origin of Optimism: The best O-line gets better, and skill players galore on offense.

Cause for Concern: Who replaces the pass rush of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo? 

Breakout Player: RB Donovan Edwards, Sophomore

It’s a disappointing 2022 if 2021 looks more like the anomaly than 2020.

It’s a successful 2022 if the Wolverines play for the B1G East in Columbus.

X-Factor: Can five-star QB J.J. McCarthy elevate the offense to even greater heights?

This is the easiest Michigan out-of-conference schedule (Colorado State, Hawaii, UCONN) I can ever remember, so the Wolverines are a lock to come out of September unscathed. At Iowa is tough, but with East rivals Penn State and Michigan State coming to Ann Arbor, the Maize & Blue should be favored in their first 11 games of the season. 

This will be the most explosive offense of the Jim Harbaugh era, potentially the program’s history, if second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is as good as advertised. He and fellow sophomore Donovan Edwards are potential superstars. At the same time, No. 1 WR Ronnie Bell returns after missing 2021 due to injury as the head of one of the deepest groups of pass catchers in college football.

Are there questions on defense? Sure, but besides the COVID season, Harbaugh’s teams have featured excellent, if not elite, defenses. With the number at 9.5, I love the OVER on the Wolverines as it seems people believe last season was a fluke. Even if you factor in an automatic loss to Ohio State (I don’t), this number provides the leeway of a second defeat, a buffer that might not be necessary as this is a clear-cut double-digit win team.

OVER 9.5 Wins (-125)