The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 125 East Division 1. (tie) Ohio State (11-1, 8-1): How well redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins replaces the departed J.T. Barrett will determine how suc- cessful Ohio State is in 2018. Fortunately for him, the Buckeyes have one of the best running back tandems in the country in sopho- more J.K. Dobbins and redshirt junior Mike Weber, but road trips to Penn State and Michigan State will be incredibly challenging, while the regular-season finale against Michigan could decide the division. 1. (tie) Michigan (10-2, 8-1): Other than the offen- sive line, Michigan looks to be in phenomenal shape at every position heading into 2018, thanks to the ad- dition of junior quarterback Shea Patterson, plus nine starters returning to a defense that finished third nationally last year (271.0 yards allowed per game). However, the schedule is perhaps the most dif- ficult in the nation, with home visits from Penn State and Wisconsin, and road trips to Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State looming large. 3. (tie) Penn State (10-2, 7-2): The Nittany Lions will have to replace star running back Saquon Barkley, No. 1 receiver DaeSean Hamilton, top tight end Mike Gesicki and offen- sive coordinator Joe Moorhead (now the head coach at Mississippi State), but return arguably the most important cog of all in fifth-year senior quarterback Trace McSorley. Filling the voids of the aforementioned players will be difficult, but if the past two years are any indication (22-5 record), Penn State is here to stay — plus, Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin all have to visit Happy Valley. 3. (tie) Michigan State (10-2, 7-2): MSU is in outstanding shape at nearly every position heading into the season — the defense should once again be one of the conference's best, while the offense will be spearheaded by redshirt junior quarterback Brian Lewerke, senior running back LJ Scott and one of the league's best group of wideouts. How well the Spartans preform in home games against U-M and Ohio State and a road trip to Penn State will likely determine whether or not they can win the East. 5. (tie) Indiana (5-7, 3-6): Second-year head coach Tom Allen has figured out the defensive issues (27th nationally last year, 340.1 yards allowed per game) that plagued Indiana for so long, but the Hoosier offenses that were so explo- sive and effective under former head man Kevin Wilson have disappeared (70th in the country last year, 395.8). Fifth-year senior quarterback Brandon Dawkins transferred in from Arizona and is expected to win the starting job, but avoiding a second straight bowl-less season will be a tough — yet attainable — task. 5. (tie) Maryland (5-7, 3-6): Injuries to the Terrapins' top three quarterbacks derailed their 2017 season, but with all three signal-callers back hopes are high for the Maryland offense. Senior Ty Johnson and junior Lorenzo Harrison also return at running back, so the key will be whether or not defensive-minded head coach DJ Durkin can field an adequate unit on that side of the ball for the first time during his tenure (since 2016) in College Park. 7. Rutgers (4-8, 2-7): The Scarlet Knights finally showed some improvement in 2017 — three conference wins, af- ter tallying one from 2015-16 — and if not for such a daunt- ing schedule in 2018, it'd be fair to expect them to match that total once again. With highly touted freshman Artur Sitkowski, fifth-year senior Giovanni Rescigno and sophomore Johnathan Lewis, Rutgers is in its best shape at quarterback since the days of Mike Teel (2004-08). On top of that, fifth-year senior running back Jon Hilliman, who transferred in from Boston College, should help provide head coach Chris Ash with his best offense since his stint in Piscataway began in 2016. West Division 1. Wisconsin (10-2, 7-2): The Badgers will have a new-look defense in 2018, but return what should be one of the nation's best offenses, led by redshirt junior quarterback Alex Hornibrook, sophomore run- ning back Jonathan Taylor and the top four leading receivers of 2017. The Badgers has to make difficult trips to Michigan and Penn State, but misses Ohio State and Michigan State from the East, which is one of the many reasons it is the hands-down favorite to repeat as division champs. 2. (tie) Nebraska (7-5, 4-5): It's difficult to predict how the Corn- huskers will perform in year one of the Scott Frost era, but just about anything would be an improvement over last year's 4-8 disaster. Frost is a proven winner, and will have plenty of leftover talent to work with from the Mike Riley regime, but crossover affairs against Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State may prevent Ne- braska from competing for the division title in his debut season. 2. (tie) Iowa (7-5, 4-5): The Hawkeyes have some areas of strength on their 2018 roster — most notably at tight end and along the defensive line — but also have some major question marks, particularly at linebacker and running back, where the team graduated its top two rushers (Akrum Wadley and James Butler). Iowa doesn't appear to be potent enough offensively to realistically challenge Wisconsin for the division crown. 2. (tie) Northwestern (6-6, 4-5): The health of fifth-year senior quarterback Clayton Thorson — who tore his ACL in the December bowl win over Kentucky, and may not return until October — will likely make or break the Wildcats' season. How well (and when) he returns from injury will determine whether or not North- western challenges Wisconsin in the West, along with how effective redshirt sopho- more running back Jeremy Larkin is in replacing all-time leading rusher Justin Jackson. 5. (tie) Minnesota (6-6, 3-6): Year one of the P.J. Fleck era ended with a disap- pointing 5-7 finish, and it's hard to envision the Gophers being much better in 2018. Fifth-year senior running back Rodney Smith and junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson will be the leaders of the offense, but Minnesota doesn't have much else to work with on that side of the ball, particularly at quarterback. Junior college transfer Vic Viramontes was expected to win that job, but left in early June — leav- ing Minnesota with a room full of QBs who have never attempted a pass in college. 5. (tie) Purdue (6-6, 3-6): Jeff Brohm's 7-6 debut season in West Lafayette was a smashing success, but crossover affairs with Ohio State and Michigan State will make it difficult to increase that win total in 2018. Purdue's defense has question marks at every level outside of safety, where junior Navon Mosley and fifth-year senior Jacob Thieneman both return. However, the offense is in excellent shape because last year's co-starters at quarterback both return in 2017, and so do the team's top six rushers from last year and three of the top four leading receivers. 7. Illinois (4-8, 2-7): Quar- terback play has been one of the many reasons head coach Lovie Smith has not had suc- cess during his two years on the job in Champaign, and the position is the biggest weakness on the entire roster once again heading into 2018. A road trip to Rutgers and a home date against Minnesota are the Illini's best chances at conference victories. Ohio State Over Wisconsin: While Wisconsin is the clear-cut favorite to win the West, the East may not be decided until the final week of the regular season when Michigan and Ohio State battle it out. An OSU/Wisconsin showdown would be a rematch of last year's champion- ship, and would represent the sixth time in eight years the Badgers have made the title game. Ohio State, meanwhile, has been the class of the Big Ten since head coach Urban Meyer took over in 2012 — never finishing lower than tied for first in their division — and until some- one knocks it from that perch, it's difficult not to pick the Buckeyes to win the league. Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 24 Big Ten Championship Game PREDICTION Predicted Order Of Finish Penn State will look to players such as Juwan Johnson, a redshirt junior wide receiver, to fill the void created by the departure of several key offensive per- formers on last year's team. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS