Newsstand: How Michigan answered several questions this offseason
The Michigan Wolverines are heading into the first season under head coach Sherrone Moore in a unique spot of coming off of a national title and then experiencing a regime change. That said, there is plenty of continuity and an opportunity to defend their title awaits.
On3’s Jesse Simonton and Andy Staples discussed Michigan on a show this week and the consensus was that things are more stable than they may seem in Ann Arbor.
“Michigan has answered a lot of questions this offseason to me,” Simonton said. “I labeled them – even before some of their additions in this last week in the secondary when they’ve gotten three guys in like 24 hours. I labeled them as one of the transfer portal winners just because they were able to hold on to the bones of their roster,” said Simonton. “All these rumors running rampant that Graham and Grant were going to end up at Texas and that Will Johnson was going to come to the SEC. None of it happened. They kept all these guys there. They return a first-rounder at tight end, they’re going to run the ball, they’re going to be physical.”
Staples replied: “I think they’re going to be fine. I do think, if there was a four-team playoff again, they might be capable of winning the national title. The fact that you’ve got to win three or four games in a row against that level of competition is going to make it very hard for this particular team,” Staples explained. “Like, just like that Michigan team last year? That Michigan team last year would have been great in a 12-team playoff because it would just grind people down. Like, by the time they played another team that had played two or three straight games against elite talent? That team would have wanted no part of Michigan firing off at them.”
Tweets of the day
Michigan quote of the day
“You see that schedule? I think they’re going to be good. Now, can they contend for a national championship? I don’t think they have the top-end depth and talent that Ohio State, Georgia, and some of these others that we’ve discussed. But I think Michigan is going to be pretty darn good. The fact that some other folks have them third or fourth, fifth, sixth in the Big Ten? I just don’t see that. I think the regression monster isn’t going to come quite as hard as some folks anticipated.”
– On3’s Andy Staples on where Michigan stands in the Big Ten
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