The 2023 Michigan football team will be a force to be reckoned with. This is arguably the most talented roster the program has ever had — at least under Jim Harbaugh — and the Wolverines have high hopes for the season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy proved in 2022 that he's capable of leading this team to great places. Will Michigan beat Ohio State again? Will they appear in a third straight College Football Playoff? Does Harbaugh finally capture a national championship?

Four bold Michigan football predictions:

 

4. Michigan loses to Penn State in Week 11

The Big Ten is an extremely top-heavy conference in 2023, as it has been for the past couple of years. Some of the old great programs in this conference, like Wisconsin and Nebraska, are headed in the right direction with great head coaching hires, but they aren't there yet. For now, the Big Ten is a three-horse race between Michigan, Ohio State, and (kind of) Penn State, though the Nittany Lions are a half-tier behind the other Midwest titans.

Still, Penn State is a great program, with a great roster, defense and run game — very much the identity Michigan has embraced under Jim Harbaugh's leadership. Now, as Harbaugh finally puts a strong quarterback on the field, James Franklin will as well. Drew Allar was the No. 1 quarterback in his class, per 247Sports.

Allar rounds out a competitive roster and joins future All-American running back Nick Singleton in the backfield. Penn State came in at No. 7 in the AP Preseason Top 25. They will be hard to beat, and Michigan has to play them on the road. Beaver Stadium is one of the toughest road environments in college football; Michigan will struggle in this one.

3. Michigan beats Ohio State… again

Jim Harbaugh became the head coach of the Wolverines in 2015. Michigan didn't beat Ohio State in their iconic annual rivalry “The Game” until 2021. In fact, the last time the Wolverines beat Ohio State before that was in 2011, when Harbaugh was starting his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.

After beating Ohio State in Ann Arbor in 2021, Michigan backed it up in 2022, beating the Buckeyes again on the road. When Michigan started winning these rivalry games, it felt like the Wolverines were finally playing up to the expected level of such a historic program.

This year, The Game is back in Michigan, and Michigan will win it with Big Ten championship hopes — and, more importantly, College Football Playoff hopes — on the line. Ohio State still doesn't know who its quarterback will be, and Michigan's roster projects to be better in the trenches.

 

2. Michigan earns No. 1 seed in College Football Playoff

Upon beating Ohio State in The Game, Michigan represents the East division in the Big Ten Championship Game. They clear whoever comes out of the West and finish the season at 12-1. The gap between the Big Ten's divisions is immense, and Michigan is far superior to anyone in the West. The best team in the Big Ten West will probably be Wisconsin under Luke Fickell, but they won't compete with the Wolverines.

In a scenario where LSU defeats Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, both of those SEC teams will be 11-2 or 12-1. They each earn playoff spots. However, Michigan's dominant regular season play and Big Ten Champion status earns them the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff.

 

1. Michigan loses in the College Football Playoff Semifinal

In a playoff field of Michigan, Georgia, and LSU, who is the fourth team? The Pac-12 champion? The Big 12 champion? The ACC champion?

Well, likely one of these three, or possibly Ohio State at 11-1. In any case, one of the CFP Semifinal sites is the Rose Bowl. In an instant classic, one of USC, Washington, Texas, Clemson, or Ohio State knocks off the top-dog Wolverines in California, and Jim Harbaugh's championship will have to wait another year. The winner of this game goes on to lose in the National Championship, as Georgia pulls of the impossible: three consecutive titles.