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Michigan Football: 4 Games That Will Define 2016 Season

By Chris Peterson

Nov 28, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive line lines up against the Ohio State Buckeyes defense line during the game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive line lines up against the Ohio State Buckeyes defense line during the game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2016 Michigan football team has plenty of promise, some even see the Wolverines as a national title contender. They may be, but four games on their schedule will decide that.

The hype surrounding the Michigan football team entering the 2016 season is going into overdrive. With head coach Jim Harbaugh becoming the biggest attraction in college football and with one of the most talented rosters in the country, the Wolverines are becoming big-time.

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Many believe that Michigan football is a serious playoff contender, take ESPN’s Mark Schlabach for instance. Yesterday, he released his second edition of his way-too-early college football rankings and as he did right after the season, he ranked the Wolverines third.

Schlabach is well respected within the industry and to me, his opinion carries weight. When you look at Michigan, there is talent everywhere. The offensive line is good, the skills positions are solid, the defense is going to be great. There are questions at quarterback, but with Harbaugh coaching them up, it’s not a huge concern.

Yet, before the Wolverines are ready to play on the national stage and compete for national championships, they have to conquer the Big Ten and to do that, they need to start slaying some of the big boys.

Michigan obviously should have beaten Michigan State, if it wasn’t for that unspeakable disaster. However, the Ohio State game was eye-opening, as the Buckeyes beat down the Wolverines 42-13, proving big blue wasn’t ready for prime time.

Don’t get me wrong, Michigan football scored some big wins last season, knocking off ranked teams in Northwestern and BYU, as well as dominating Florida, but it didn’t beat a traditional Big-Ten power, which it will need to do this season to prove itself.

And thanks to the 2016 schedule, the Wolverines will have four chances to do just that. There were five teams that won 10 games in the Big Ten a season ago, Michigan and four others: Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

The Wolverines will face all four of those teams this fall and those four games will ultimately decide if Michigan football is ready to take it to the next level.

The first contest is a home game against the Badgers on Oct. 1. Then, the Wolverines will travel to Michigan State (Oct. 29, Iowa (Nov. 12), and Ohio State (Nov. 26).

Of course, Michigan football’s games against East Division rivals Michigan State and Ohio State are most crucial, but if the Wolverines want to be playoff contenders, they will need to win at least three of those games, maybe even all four.

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It’s easy to see the Wolverines winning 10 games and competing for a Big Ten championship again in 2016, but if they want to become an elite college football program, they need to take control of the Big Ten and that can only happen by beating the best.

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