2009 Michigan Football Predictions
Written June 19, 2009 by InfoPlays
Michigan’s struggles in 2008 under Rich Rodriquez will only be forgotten if the Wolverines make major strides this season. Just getting back to a bowl game seems like a reasonable goal for the program. The Michigan Wolverines look far more capable on offense and they have added talent to both sides of the ball. As we take a look at the NCAA football lines for futures bets, we see the odds makers have listed the Wolverines at +10000 to win the 2010 BCS National Title.
Offense: You can pick any stat from 2008, and chances are the Wolverines were mired near the bottom of the conference rankings. Michigan’s 20.3 points/game ranked last, as did its passing yards/game and total yardage. But their spread offense in year two should be better with a new starting quarterback in freshman Tate Forcier. He completed better than 70 percent of his passes in high school, and arrived in January to play impressively in the spring game. Another freshman, speedy Denard Robinson, arrives in the summer. Both are suited to run the spread option offense.
Other than Forcier, the Wolverines return all of their starters on offense. The best of the bunch may be senior running back Brandon Minor, who led the Wolverines with 533 rushing yards last season. He has the talent to get 1,000 yards this season if he stays healthy. Speedy veteran Carlos Brown could pick up the slack if Minor cannot stay healthy, and freshman Vincent Smith will get a look, too. In the receiving corps, Greg Mathews caught 35 balls last year while Darryl Stonum caught 14. Dependable slot man Martavious Odoms leads all returnees with 49 grabs. Wideout Junior Hemingway and slot receiver Terrence Robinson each return from illness and injury to add valuable depth.
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Defense: The Wolverines were relying on their defense to carry the load last season. In reality, the offense never got going and the defense couldn’t hold its ground, either. When the season ended, the Wolverines had been gutted for 40 points or more by four different teams. They had surrendered a school-record 347 points when it was all said and done. Greg Robinson replaced first-year Michigan coordinator Scott Shafer in the offseason. Robinson’s tenure at Syracuse didn’t go as planned, but his experiences in the NFL and as a college coordinator are noteworthy. Robinson coordinated the Denver Broncos’ back-to-back winning Super Bowl defenses, and also served as coordinator when Texas beat Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl.
Based on spring practice, Robinson will be using a variety of three and four down linemen. He’ll use a mix of linebackers and secondary personnel, and one player in senior Steve Brown to fill the hybrid linebacker/safety role. The Wolverines return cornerback Donovan Warren, inside linebacker Obi Ezeh who led the team with 98 tackles last season, outside linebacker Jonas Moutan and pass-rushing specialist in end Brandon Graham, who had 10 sacks last season. So there is plenty of experience to go around on this side of the ball.
InfoPlays has you covered this coming season with winning NCAA football picks you can count on. All of our handicappers at Betfirms offer expert football picks to help you beat you book this fall.
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