Michigan, O Michigan, ye of the constant accusations of underachievement despite possessing the best record in college football over the past decade. My alma mater. My blog niche. My harsh, harsh mistress. Please don't suck this year.
| WHY THEY'LL WIN |
 This part is easy: four potential All-Americans (Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Jake Long, and Mike Hart) return on the offensive side of the ball. All save Hart are holy locks for the first round next year, assuming Manningham decides to enter early, and that's not even a full accounting of the myriad riches on the offense. There is also lanky emerging star Adrian Arrington, a version of Jason Avant with some extra deep threat attached, senior left guard Adam Kraus, a lock to be all-conference, and young offensive linemen Justin Boren and Steve Schilling, guaranteed to be stars sooner or later. There are even rumblings that tight end Carson Butler, kicked off the team for an assault he was later acquitted of, may return, which would shore up the one weakness on offense: jumbo blocker types at FB and TE. Most of that killer defense (save the last two games, yes) is gone, but guided missile Shawn Crable returns for his senior year along with fireplug defensive tackle Terrance Taylor. With Taylor on the defensive line will be two five-star recruits at defensive end, Tim Jamison and Brandon Graham (a man who Mike Hart described as "Lamarr Woodley but faster"), and defensive tackle Will Johnson, who played extensively and well last year. Sometimes Michigan even lifted leviathan Alan Branch for Johnson on third and short. Like, whoah. It won't be last year's thumping death machine, but it will probably be the best line in the conference anyway. On special teams, there is Zoltan the Inconceivable, a punter who is awesome and named Zoltan Mesko. He will punt opponents to death. |
One of the benefits of spurning teams with actual success at their football programs, like heavily hyped DC-area wide Arrelious Benn did when he stiffarmed Notre Dame and everyone else to attend Illinois, is that you tend to get shoved into the starting lineup the moment you step on campus. This is the case for Benn, who will give the lacking Illini receiving corps some downfield punch. He lit up the Illinois spring game, catching deep pass after deep pass.
