Is this the year?

That’s been the question essentially every season since Jim Harbaugh took over at Michigan in 2015. Each and every year, the Wolverines have been hoping to knock off Ohio State and claim its first East Division title since the B1G split.

But 2019 might be the year Michigan finally puts it all together. It’s already favored to win the B1G East, a conference championship and even a spot in the College Football Playoff. It would be the validation Harbaugh has been seeking.

Shea Patterson is back under center with tremendous weapons at wide receiver like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. Josh Gattis is opening up the offense with a plan to get the ball into the hands of Michigan’s playmakers.

Don Brown is still running the defense, which means the Wolverines will be strong on that side of the football again. This is easily a team capable of hitting a double-digit win total this fall, but it all rings hollow if UM doesn’t beat the Buckeyes or win a division title.

Here’s how ESPN’s FPI is projecting every game on Michigan’s schedule this fall:

  • August 31: vs. Middle Tennessee — 98.2% win probability
  • September 7: vs. Army — 95.5% win probability
  • September 21: at Wisconsin — 80.7% win probability
  • September 28: vs. Rutgers — 97.7% win probability
  • October 5: vs. Iowa — 83.9% win probability
  • October 12: at Illinois — 93.8% win probability
  • October 19: at Penn State — 58.3% win probability
  • October 26: vs. Notre Dame — 62.9% win probability
  • November 2: at Maryland — 91.6% win probability
  • November 16: vs. Michigan State — 79.1% win probability
  • November 23: at Indiana — 84.3% win probability
  • November 30: vs. Ohio State — 76.6% win probability

Other B1G FPI predictions:

Illinois

Maryland

Ohio State

Purdue

Rutgers

Wisconsin