The Michigan football team has won the Big Ten in each of the last three seasons, and they are looking for a fourth this year. The Wolverines have been dominant over the rest of the Big Ten in this stretch as they have lost just one conference game in the last three seasons. However, the 2024 season is going to look different. Michigan has a lot of talent to replace, they no longer have Jim Harbaugh as their head coach and there are some new competitors in the conference.
Winning four straight conference championships is no easy task, and the odds are certainly stacked against the Michigan football team this year. Sherrone Moore will be leading the Wolverines for the first time as the (official) head coach of the team, and he will have a lot of new faces to work with. Michigan was loaded with NFL talent last year, and now, they have to reload.
Michigan is not expected to come away with the conference crown, but they haven’t been the preseason favorite in any of the past three years. Being the underdog doesn’t bother the Wolverines at all.
This season, Michigan has the fourth best odds to win the conference. Ohio State is the favorite (+155), followed by Oregon (+200), Penn State (+500) and then Michigan (+750).
It’s not going to be easy, but after winning it all last year, this Michigan football team has a standard that they need to uphold. It’s going to be a different team, but it is still a very talented team. Here are three reasons why the Wolverines win their fourth straight Big Ten title.
Defense
One thing that shouldn’t miss a beat this season for Michigan is their defense. The Wolverines had the best defense in the country last year and it was a big reason why they were able to go all the way and win the national championship.
The offense lost a lot of their key players, but the defense is returning some of their most crucial playmakers from a year ago. Mason Graham and Will Johnson are both back this season and they are expected to be top-10 draft picks. Johnson is considered by many to be the best player in college football. The Wolverines also return Kenneth Grant, Josiah Stewart, Derrick Moore and Ernest Hausmann on that side of the ball. Defense wins championships, and this Michigan football team is once again going to have a championship-level defense.
No divisions
There’s no doubt about it, the hardest game on the Michigan football schedule is their final contest of the year against Ohio State. When the two teams were in the same division, that was essentially the Big Ten title game. Now, the conference has gotten rid of divisions, and if the Wolverines do fall in Columbus, they can still have life and go to the Big Ten title game, which would likely be a rematch against the Buckeyes on a neutral-site field.
The rest of the Big Ten schedule works out nicely for the Wolverines as they get Oregon and USC at home. Michigan could definitely find themselves with an undefeated conference record going into their final game against Ohio State. Oh also, the Wolverines aren’t scared about taking on the Buckeyes on the road.
Momentum
The past few years will go a long way for the 2024 Michigan football team. While there will be a lot of new starters, these are still guys that have been on the team the past 1-3 years and if they have been members of these winning teams. They know how to beat teams like Ohio State and they know how to win Big Ten titles. None of these players know what it’s like to not win the Big Ten. The season will likely ride on a huge contest with the Buckeyes like it always does, and all this team knows right now is beating their rival. They can do it again.
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