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Michigan’s 2020 schedule is no cakewalk, but such is always the case given that the Wolverines play in the Big Ten East — a conference that features perennial College Football Playoff contender Ohio State as well as frequently difficult Penn State.
But with the season opening with non-conference PAC-12 contender Washington and the Big Ten opener being against Big Ten West power Wisconsin, there’s little room for error for the maize and blue in 2020.
Michigan enters the season with a lot of talent, but much of it unproven. Whether or not the maize and blue will be able to capitalize on the quarterback position with a first-time starter as it did in 2016 with Wilton Speight remains to be seen. Still, while many aren’t giving the Ann Arbor team much of a chance to contend for the Big Ten East and beyond, we ranked the scheduled games in terms of ease to win, going from easiest to most difficult, adding why each is important to U-M’s chances at a postseason berth.
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We start out in the nonconference with the Wolverines home opener vs. a MAC team that will be overmatched from top to bottom.
12. Ball State – HOME – Sept. 12
(Admittedly arbitrary) Chances of winning
99.9%
What poses difficulty
Shouldn’t be much. Ball State went 5-7 last year and struggled in the MAC conference. In every way, the Cardinals should be overmatched. BSU did have the No. 16 offense in the country in 2019, so the defense could have its hands full. Even if the game is close early, it’s one where the Wolverines should be able to handle business quite easily against a team that fielded the No. 91 defense last season.
How Michigan wins
By being itself. Weird things have happened in the past — App. State in 2007 and Toledo in 2008 — but a loss to the Cardinals would be more devastating. The Mountaineers were at least a championship team at the BCS level, and Ball State is a team that couldn’t get bowl eligible at the Group of Five level. Expect this game to be a romp in Ann Arbor.
Your Turn
[opinary poll=”how-confident-are-you-michigan-will-beat-rfp7BY” customer=”collegewires”]