The Michigan Wolverines – Plenty to talk about in Ann Arbor

The Michigan Wolverines had perhaps their worst season ever in 2008 under new head coach Rich Rodriguez, and to make matters worse, accusations of NCAA rules violations regarding excessive practice time surfaced just a week before the season began.

Fans and media alike expected disagreements and football culture-based clashes off the field when Rodriguez took over the NCAA’s most change-resistant program (after all, Michigan has the most wins and highest win percentage in NCAA history), but not many expected to see them struggle through a season as bad as last year’s 3-9 campaign.

This season, the team slogan is “All in for Michigan,” one that was picked prior to the practice-related allegations.

Now, the allegations could either cause internal strife or galvanize a team that still has plenty of blue chip players but lacks experience in some key spots.

BetOnline lists the over/under on Michigan’s win total at 6 1/2, with the over odds at -125 and the under at -115.

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Michigan is also +12,500 in the BCS Championship Futures section of the sportsbook, one of the biggest long shots available for bettors.

Because there is so much to take into account when trying to predict how the Wolverines will do this season, it’s tough to nail down a concrete number when picking how many games they’ll win.

But know this for sure: Michigan will be much improved in 2009, even if it doesn’t always show up in the win column in the Big Ten.

The biggest reason for Michigan’s improvement and likely 7+ win season will be simply having a year of experience in Rodriguez’s system under their belts along with the maturation process of a young team hitting its stride.

Like Deznel Washington’s character, coach Herman Boone in “Remember the Titans,” Rodriguez changed around tons of things the tight-knit Wolverine support system held sacred:“We’re gonna change the way we run, we’re gonna change the way we eat, we’re gonna change the way we tackle, we’re going to change the way we win!”

Of course, the last part of that movie quote didn’t come true for UM last year, but if Rodriguez can keep the team together and get vastly better QB play in 2009, the results will show on the field from his intense speed and explosion-based training and recruiting efforts.

The second biggest reason Michigan should surpass is the QB situation. Last year, walk-on Nick Sheridan and tall, inexperienced pro-style QB Steven Threet shared duties and struggled mightily. Neither was much of a threat to run, which crippled Rodriguez’s vaunted read and spread option plays, and neither was much of a threat to pass either, particularly beyond 10 yards.

Defenses keyed in on the straight-ahead run game and the Michigan offense, which focuses on establishing a fast pace and out-conditioning opponents, instead stalled so quickly and so often that the defense never had a chance to catch its breath.

This year, freshman Tate Forcier has taken off in practice and accounted for 5 TD’s in the spring game. Remember that spread QB’s don’t have to read the defense as much as pro-style QB’s and recall the success of Pat White at West Virginia under Rodriguez and also Sam Bradford at Oklahoma as examples.

Sheridan is back and supposedly improved and will at least show the youngsters how it’s done in spot duty.

Throw in freshman Denard Robinson, a world-class athlete who happens to play quarterback and can throw a little, and UM has a trio of QB’s (Forcier is a run/pass threat with impeccable accuracy) who each bring something different to the table and give Rodriguez options.

Surrounding them are loads of 4-star type prospects on both sides of the ball, but experienced depth is thin, particularly on defense.

A lot will depend on UM’s health this year, but the players have reported being in the best shape of their lives and the talent of the team is unquestioned. Michigan might have a few rough losses on the way, but they could also pull some big upsets if it all comes together.

Expectations are a funny thing, and many fans seemingly would be satisfied with just seven wins and a minor bowl game after the team was just one game from the BCS Title Game in 2006.

But in the Big Ten, where Illinois can win two games one year and go to the Rose Bowl the next year, perhaps they should aim a little higher. And with a little bit of luck, Rodriguez and the Wolverines can pull off a similar run in 2009, making over 6 ½ wins a solid bet to make.