Inside Schembechler Hall, the mantra for Michigan football has been ‘national championship or bust.’ Outside of those walls, there appears to be a growing optimism that the maize and blue will at least have a shot at said championship.
The Wolverines return the fifth-most talent in college football, let alone in the Big Ten. The schedule is beyond amenable, with the most likely big games coming against Penn State and Ohio State, with both being late in the season.
Friend of the site, Bill Bender at Sporting News, put together his 2023 bowl predictions across the sport last week, and in his estimation, Michigan football will again make it to the College Football Playoff semifinal as the Big Ten Champion as a No. 2 seed.
Rose Bowl Game: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 USC
The Wolverines and Trojans play their 10th head-to-head Rose Bowl matchup before the Trojans head to the Big Ten. Will Caleb Williams be a two-time Heisman Trophy winner at this point? Will J.J. McCarthy be considered a first-round pick? Michigan returns to the playoff for the third straight season, which puts the pressure on Jim Harbaugh to win now more than ever. USC reaches the playoff for the first time under Lincoln Riley. Harbaugh and Riley are a combined 0-5 in CFP semifinals.
With that prediction in mind, Bender also has Ohio State as a 4-seed, again, while — again — facing Georgia. In this scenario, he has the Wolverines beating the Trojans and the Bulldogs beating the Buckeyes. Thus setting up a 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal rematch between Michigan and Georgia.
CFP championship game (Houston): Georgia vs. Michigan
The four-team CFP era ends with a SEC vs. Big Ten matchup – perhaps a harbinger of things to come for the 12-team era. From the BCS era through the four-team era, the Big Ten is 0-3 against the SEC in championship games. This is Michigan’s first chance at it, however, and we’ll see how much improvement the Wolverines have made since the 34-11 loss to the Bulldogs in the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl two years ago. Georgia, meanwhile, will go for the three-peat under Kirby Smart. Is anything going to stop the Bulldogs along the way?
Who will win? At this point, we have no prediction there, but if Michigan can at least get there, it will have a chance to walk home with some real hardware.
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