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This isn’t to say that Michigan football is College Football Playoff-bound, or even that it will beat Ohio State in 2020. But there are a lot of reasons to believe that the Wolverines can field a much better team in 2020 than it did in 2019.
Yes, much more was anticipated of Jim Harbaugh leading the maize and blue when he took over in 2015, but Michigan has been close — despite many saying it hasn’t been. Had it not been for a series of questionable penalties and ‘the spot’ in 2016, everything that was anticipated when he was hired would have happened in year two. Two years later, Michigan was in the top four heading into the OSU game, and the Wolverines were surprising favorites, but got decimated in a way they never had to the Buckeyes.
2020 could be a big year for Michigan, one in which it’ll have a chance to rectify a lot of wrongs from the previous year. And it starts with one side of the ball where the Wolverines should be much better than they have perhaps ever been.
Quarterback battle is a win-win
For the first time truly ever, in our estimation, there’s a legitimate quarterback battle in the Jim Harbaugh era.
The closest thing to one came in 2016, with it being a three-way battle between eventual-winner Wilton Speight, John O’Korn and Shane Morris. However, Speight surprised many, getting first team reps in spring, and he never let go. Once fall camp came around, it was technically a battle, one that many expected O’Korn to win. But Speight had command, and he kept his job until his unfortunate back injury in Week Four the following year.
Otherwise, everything had been cemented in stone, save for lip-service of a QB battle. In 2015, it was going to be Jake Rudock. In 2017, Speight. In 2018-19, transfer Shea Patterson. 2020? Well, it’s going to be a contest between redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt sophomore Joe Milton.
Never before in the modern era has the Michigan offense had such viable options, in what should be a win-win scenario. The two should be able to push each other to be better in a highly contested race to become the starter, one that’s emboldened that much more by second-year QB Cade McNamara also jockeying for position. One person WolverinesWire spoke to with familiarity of both McCaffrey and Milton’s capabilities said they were eager to see either at the helm, noting that their abilities should allow the Michigan offense to truly take off in ways it hasn’t before. They both have solid arms and the ability to break the game wide open. It was just a matter of them getting more acclimated to the college game, getting through strength and conditioning and maturing as prospects. Now that both have reached veritable upperclassman status, it’s to Michigan’s advantage.