Staff Predictions: TheWolverine.com weighs in on expectations for first season under Sherrone Moore

The Michigan Wolverines are a few short days away from kicking off their 2024 campaign, which comes with no shortage of storylines and things to keep an eye on in the first season under head coach Sherrone Moore.

When we put together the football preview magazine for this season, which you can still purchase here, it took on a different tone than the last two editions we did. The 2022 and 2023 editions were filled with optimism that the program would keep building on the success that came the prior season and make a push for the national title.

RELATED – WATCH: Discussing potential concerns about QB timeline, Fresno State week presser, more

While there is still plenty of optimism about the Moore era, and what feels like a pretty stacked roster relative to even some of Jim Harbaugh’s earlier teams, there is a lot of uncertainty here. It starts with the most important position on the field at quarterback and runs through some other position groups on the offensive line. There are new faces within the program on the coaching staff and in support staff roles. And, to be frank, a natural dropoff is expected from arguably the best season in program history and losing head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.

Still, there is optimism. It just feels different, and the expectations reflect that in the staff predictions at large for this year.

A few shoutouts before we get into this year’s predictions are in order. First, Doug Skene with three of four College Football Playoff teams correct in Michigan, Alabama and Texas. Georgia was the lone squad in his projection that did not make it. Skene was among three here to pick Michigan to win it all, along with Clayton Sayfie and Drew Hallett. Skene and Sayfie were also in alignment on the Big Ten Championship game opponent, picking the Wolverines to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In the “boo this man” category, Chris Balas takes the prize of being the only one of us to pick that Michigan would lose a game last season with an 11-1 projection. He has informed me to direct your complaints accordingly.

All but two of our staff members picked Michigan State as the Big Ten team on the decline heading into the 2023 season, which…would wind up being an understatement. Sayfie and Hallett picked Purdue and Illinois, respectively, which were still solid choices. And technically, Purdue fell off the most of everyone after losing to Michigan in the Big Ten title game in 2022. However, everyone else gets bonus points for a head coach resigning in disgrace and Adolf Hitler appearing on the Spartan Stadium scoreboard.

This year, there is once again an outlier among us with only one of us brave enough to pick Michigan to win 10 games, and that would be me. Hopefully, it works out the same way it did when I was the only one brave enough to pick a Blake Corum-less squad to beat Ohio State at the Horseshoe in 2022.

Without further ado, here are our full staff picks for the season as a whole. Balas will be back Thursday with his first staff picks column of the season for the Fresno State game.

John Borton, Editor

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 9-3
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Ohio State
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Oregon
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Northwestern
Offensive Breakout Player: WR Semaj Morgan
Defensive Breakout Player: LB Jaishawn Barham
Michigan MVP: DT Mason Graham

Chris Balas, TheWolverine.com Editor

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Ohio State
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 9-3
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Ohio State
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Nebraska
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Maryland
Offensive Breakout Player: RB Kalel Mullings
Defensive Breakout Player: DB Zeke Berry
Michigan MVP: DT Mason Graham

Anthony Broome, Staff Writer

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Ohio State
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 10-2
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Texas
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Nebraska
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Illinois
Offensive Breakout Player: WR Tyler Morris
Defensive Breakout Player: DB Zeke Berry
Michigan MVP: CB Will Johnson

Clayton Sayfie, Staff Writer

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oregon
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 9-3
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Ohio State
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Nebraska
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Washington
Offensive Breakout Player: WR Tyler Morris
Defensive Breakout Player: DB Zeke Berry
Michigan MVP: CB Will Johnson

Drew Hallett, Columnist

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 9-3
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Texas
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Nebraska
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Washington
Offensive Breakout Player: Kalel Mullings
Defensive Breakout Player: LB Ernest Hausmann
Michigan MVP: CB Will Johnson

Doug Skene, Former U-M All-Big Ten offensive lineman and contributor to TheWolverine.com

NCAA Champion: Georgia
CFP Final Four: Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Ohio State
Big Ten Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Michigan Regular-Season Record: 9-3
Most Anticipated U-M Game: Ohio State
Big Ten Team on The Rise: Oregon
Big Ten Team on the Decline: Penn State
Offensive Breakout Player: RB Donovan Edwards
Defensive Breakout Player: CB Will Johnson
Michigan MVP: CB Will Johnson