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2023 Michigan Wolverines Football Predictions and Betting Odds

by Matt Zitt - 8/4/2023

Michigan Wolverines football predictions Blake Corum

2022 Record: 13-1 overall, 9-0 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh, 9th year: 74-25, 16th year overall: 132-52

Michigan was always very, very good under head coach Jim Harbaugh, and then it started blocking and tackling better, the next-level talent kept flowing in, and shock of shocks, it all worked. Ever since the second half of the 2020 finale loss to Penn State -- when Michigan, in a lost game in a lost season, seemed to say “enough is enough” and played one of its most physical offensive halves of the year -- a switched flipped. It hasn't stopped since.

Most of the time in the Harbaugh era, the Wolverines were in the middle of the pack in run defense and rushing offense. When they’re better than most at those two things, they win more. And the talent? Nine players were taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, and 37 over the last five years. Who sent more players to the big league over that span? Take a guess -- Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU.

The talent is there, and so is the execution. That, and two wins over the arch-rival helped. It’s not like Harbaugh all of a sudden started becoming a better coach, but everything changed with that one win over Ohio State in 2021 to finally break through the ceiling. Now Michigan really could hang with and beat the elite and win a championship. But this year’s team has a whole lot of talent, too. And it’s going to be really, really good at tackling, and it’s going to be really, really good.

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Wolverines Offensive Outlook for 2023

This year’s front five will once again be among the most physical in the country, starting with one of the nation’s best guard tandems in Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan. Star C Olu Oluwatimi is now a Seattle Seahawk, but in comes Drake Nugent to take over. OT Ryan Hayes is trying to become a Miami Dolphin, and the line might have upgraded with LaDarius Henderson coming in from Arizona State.

The ground game will be dynamic. It was fifth in the nation, No. 1 in the Big Ten, and it gets the guys back to do even more. Blake Corum returns this fall after running for 1,463 yards and 18 scores before suffering a knee injury, and Donovan Edwards -- who ran for 991 yards and averaged seven yards per carry -- might be the better pro prospect.

After years and years of throwing interesting QB prospects at the wall and seeing what stuck, Michigan has a star quarterback. J.J. McCarthy stepped into the starting role early on and never let go, throwing for over 2,700 yards and 22 touchdowns with five picks to go along with 306 rushing yards and five scores.

The receiving corps is hardly a weakness, but it’s not as strong as the other parts of this year’s offense. Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson are explosive wideouts, and Indiana transfer tight end AJ Barner is a nice addition to go along with Colston Loveland.

Wolverines Defensive Outlook for 2023

The defense that was so good all year before TCU screwed that up is loaded up front and has a bit of work to do in the secondary. It’s hardly a dire situation, though, considering the main stars are back except for top corner, DJ Turner. Throw in UMass corner Josh Wallace coming over, and the corners are great. The safeties will be terrific around Rod Moore and Mike Sainristil.

The pressure might not be quite there like you’d think, but this line will get into the backfield. DT Mazi Smith went in the first round to Dallas, and EDGE Mike Morris was drafted by Seattle, but there’s no taking and step back, with Kris Jenkins a future NFL starter at one tackle job and the versatile Josaiah Stewart a dangerous all-around pass rusher coming in from Coastal Carolina. Stewart can work inside or out, likely playing in a rotation with top returning edge rusher Jaylen Harrell.

The linebacking duo of Junior Colson and Michael Barrett -- they were 1-2 in tackles, respectively -- combined for 173 last season. They’re good enough, and along to help is Ernest Hausmann, who transferred in from Nebraska.

Michigan Wolverines Season Prediction, Win Total, Best Bets

It remains one of the more impressive fun facts. Take out the four losses in 2020 -- again, COVID, everything was off -- and out of the 21 losses, just two were against teams that didn’t win at least 10 games. One was the collapse to South Carolina (9 wins) in the Outback Bowl at the end of 2017, and one was at Iowa (8 wins) 14-13 in a tough environment. In other words, don’t expect Michigan to screw up unless it’s having a really, really bad day.

There shouldn’t be a whole lot of tuning up to do, but whatever there is will be done before hosting Rutgers in the Big Ten opener -- Michigan isn’t exactly pushing the envelope in nonconference play against East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. There’s no Wisconsin, Illinois, or Iowa to deal with from the West. There’s no Northwestern, either. Here’s the problem. At Minnesota, at Michigan State, at Penn State, at Maryland. There will be a loss somewhere along the way -- watch out for the Gophers if it’s not Penn State that gets it done.

2023 CFN Preseason Prediction: 10-2
2022 Record: 13-1

Aug 26 OPEN DATE
Sept 2 East Carolina W
Sept 9 UNLV W
Sept 16 Bowling Green W
Sept 23 Rutgers W
Sept 30 at Nebraska W
Oct 7 at Minnesota W
Oct 14 Indiana W
Oct 21 at Michigan State L
Oct 28 OPEN DATE
Nov 4 Purdue W
Nov 11 at Penn State L
Nov 18 at Maryland W
Nov 25 Ohio State W

Michigan Wolverines Football Best Bets

To win the Big Ten Championship Game +170

To win the National Championship +800

J.J. McCarthy to win the Heisman +1800

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