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Michigan football: Can they run the table? Predicting the Wolverines’ final record in 2023
By Sean Labar
Published:
There is a legitimate case to be made that Jim Harbaugh’s 2023 Michigan Wolverines are the top team in college football after 8 weeks. They have only given up more than 7 points in a game once this season (52-10 victory over Minnesota) and are steamrolling through the Big Ten with ease.
On offense, this team has taken a major step forward from last season.
JJ McCarthy has morphed into one of the top signal callers in the country — so much so that he’s now the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Michigan’s nearly perfect balance of running the ball with its two dynamic backs and passing downfield when the coverage dictates an opportunity have turned this team into an offensive juggernaut.
The Wolverines have put up 45, 52, 52, and 49 points in their past 4 outings. They have only gotten better as the season has played out.
Defensively? After Saturday night’s 49-0 shutout at Michigan State, the are allowing just 5.9 points per matchup, the lowest of any team in the FBS.
Michigan heads into its bye week a perfect 8-0.
With their 2 biggest tests against Penn State and Ohio State coming in the final 4 regular-season games, now feels like the perfect time to predict Michigan’s final record in 2023.
Week 10 vs. Purdue
Skinny: It’s clear Harbaugh has this team locked in and Michigan won’t overlook any opponent, but the Boilermakers are 2-5 overall and just 1-3 in the conference. The Wolverines have a bye next weekend and it’s tough to see a scenario where Purdue comes into the Big House on Nov. 4 and makes this game competitive. Michigan is just too good on both sides of the ball, and should keep the streak alive of dominating sub-par Big Ten opponents.
Prediction: 48-7
Week 11 at Penn State
Skinny: On paper, this is one of the strongest Penn State teams James Franklin has produced, led by a defense that held Ohio State in check in a 20-12 loss in Week 8. But that loss exposed serious issues on offense when a formidable defense is lined up on the other side. Drew Allar was off-target and looked confused at times. While this won’t be an easy matchup on the road against a really solid Penn State team, it just feels like Michigan is a step ahead.
Prediction: 38-20
Week 12 at Maryland
Skinny: Harbaugh is 7-0 against the Terps, and most have been blowouts. Last year’s game was close, however. Some may view this as a classic trap game with Ohio State coming up a week later, but the Wolverines will be ready against a Maryland team that has talent on both sides of the ball. Taulia Tagovailoa hasn’t had the breakout season that many believed he would, and has struggled against elite defenses. Michigan should be able to contain the Maryland offense and put up points against a defense that is giving up 337 yards per game.
Prediction: 42-17
Week 13 vs. Ohio State
Skinny: The Wolverines have won the past 2 meetings against their biggest rival, and on paper, those teams were probably better than the 2023 Buckeyes.
Starting QB Kyle McCord has flashed at times, but struggled at others. He doesn’t bring the same threat CJ Stroud did, and that should be the difference. Michigan will force McCord to throw by implementing a defensive game plan focused on stopping the run, while putting pressure on the young signal caller as much as possible. This may not be as close as many believe it will be.
Michigan hasn’t beaten Ohio State 3 consecutive times since 1995-97, but Harbaugh, McCarthy and company will get it done at the Big House.
Prediction: 38-24
Final record: 12-0
Back-to-back undefeated regular seasons?
Michigan hasn’t done that since the early 1950s, but that’s absolutely on the table for this team.
ESPN’s FPI initially favored Ohio State, but even those odds have now shifted in the Wolverines’ favor.
It’s clear Michigan is playing with an edge, too. As the NCAA continues to pester Harbaugh, the Wolverines continue to send messages — none louder than scoring a TD with 8 seconds left Saturday night against rival Michigan State to cap the 49-0 blowout.