During the course of the 2016 offseason, the Michigan Wolverines will be a popular choice in projections to make a run at the national title.
While there's a collection of excellent reasons defending the hype, the Maize and Blue have a couple of weaknesses that could expose the team on the biggest stage.
Injuries and other setbacks may affect the roster, but uncontrollable factors are not used to help or hurt Michigan in either section.
What matters most is the product between the white lines, the coaches in the headsets and external forces of which we already know.
Why the Wolverines Can Make a Run
"Defense wins championships," the saying goes. Michigan has plenty of that.
Nose tackle Ryan Glasgow is the key piece. His presence in 2015 wasn't fully appreciated until it was gone, as evidenced by Indiana's Jordan Howard and Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott slashing apart Michigan's defense sans Glasgow.
Veteran linemen Chris Wormley and Taco Charlton will occupy significant roles, and a couple of newcomers will join them. Bryan Mone, who missed last season due to a broken ankle, and No. 1 overall recruit Rashan Gary should be fixtures in the lineup, too.
That strong unit up front—and new defensive coordinator Don Brown's variable blitz packages—can partially atone for the glaring weakness at the next level.
Ben Gedeon is expected to secure one starting position at linebacker. Mike McCray, early enrolleeDevin Bush Jr. and 3-star summer arrival Elysee Mbem-Bosse will be in the mix, though none have significant (or any) college experience.
Still, all the Wolverines need is just one player to establish himself as a consistent contributor. And if spring practice is any indication, that guy could be first-team All-Big Ten defensive back Jabrill Peppers. Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com provided a Peppers update in late February:
In addition to second-team All-American corner Jourdan Lewis, the secondary returns Channing Stribling, Jeremy Clark, Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill. So, Michigan retains a strong majority of a unit that finished No. 4 and No. 6 in total and scoring defense, respectively.
The offense keeps most of its playmakers, too.
Amara Darboh, Jehu Chesson and Jake Butt combined to tally 61.6 percent of the team's receptions, 69.4 of the yards and 81.0 of the touchdowns. Leading rusher De'Veon Smith is also back.
Breaking in a new quarterback to replace Jake Rudock won't be easy, but the Wolverines have those skill-position players and four returning starters on the offensive line to ease the shift.
And then, of course, there's head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff.
Prior to the 2015 campaign, the general expectation for Michigan hovered around seven or eight wins. All Harbaugh did was guide his alma mater to 10 victories and a fluky loss to Michigan State.
Harbaugh and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch helped mold Rudock into an efficient distributor. Tim Drevno had a profound impact on the development of a once-shaky offensive line. Greg Mattison was excellent with the defensive line.
Although D.J. Durkin was a quality coach and will be missed, Brown is a terrific fit. Safeties coach Greg Jackson departed for the Dallas Cowboys, but Harbaugh snagged nine-year NFL assistant Brian Smith to step in. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press noted the addition:
Decades of professional coaching experience don't automatically equate to college success. But if 2015 was any indication, that's not hurting the drive for a national championship in Ann Arbor—and neither is the turnover at rival schools.
Ohio State had 14 players invited to the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. Rebuild, reload, call it whatever you'd like—that's impressive, but it's a massive number of elite talents to replace and excel immediately.
Michigan State lost longtime starters like Connor Cook, Jack Conklin and Jack Allen, among others. While it's foolish to expect the Spartans will struggle mightily, a second straight East Division title would be impressive.
The Wolverines have indisputable advantages in the breadth of returning talent and tremendous coaching. Without a doubt, that's a winning combination.
Why Michigan Falls Short
For all the promising signs, though, U-M has a couple of—albeit fewer—negatives that could end the program's championship aspirations.
Michigan showed tremendous improvement on the offensive line in 2015, but the running game was inconsistent. Additionally, Gedeon isn't exactly a sure thing. While the senior should start, he wasn't always a reliable tackler. Inexperience elsewhere at linebacker may compound the problem.
Every conversation ends at the same topic, however: The Wolverines need a new quarterback. That competition has started in spring practice, and Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press shared an update from Harbaugh:
Houston transfer John O'Korn is considered the favorite to earn the starting nod by beating out the likes of Wilton Speight, Shane Morris and Brandon Peters. Whoever ultimately wins the job has a few tuneups to open the season against Hawaii, UCF and Colorado.
But after the nonconference slate, the schedule steadily gets tougher. Penn State and Wisconsin, two defensive-minded squads, will travel to Michigan Stadium.
Overall, the Wolverines begin the season with six home contests over a seven-game stretch, so they'll regularly hit the road down the stretch. And the opponents are far from friendly.
Michigan must overcome three unfavorable environments while battling the conference's three best programs from a season ago. Rivalry matchups are wildly unpredictable, and Iowa returns a collection of key starters.
Alabama has proved a program can afford an early-season loss and rebound in time for the College Football Playoff. In 2015 alone, though, late shortcomings doomed Stanford (Oregon), Ohio State (Michigan State) and Notre Dame (Stanford).
Surviving what is arguably the nation's most difficult anticipated finish to the 2016 campaign is no easy task.
All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from CFBStats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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