Michigan Football: 5 questions that must be answered entering 2018

Michigan football will have a tough 2018 season if it can’t win road games

One of the biggest problems with Jim Harbaugh’s tenure has been an ability to beat good teams on the road. Heck, even against mediocre teams, Michigan football has struggled.

Looking back to 2016, Michigan had a battle with a 3-9 Michigan State team. Michigan also lost to an Iowa team it had no business losing too. Against teams like Rutgers or Maryland, Michigan has rolled. But even against teams like Indiana and Minnesota, UM has needed overtime or last-second plays to win.

Obviously, winning on the road in the Big Ten is tough. But with road games against top-25 caliber teams and three against preseason top-15 teams, it’s going to be really tough. Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State are all daunting tasks on the road. Northwestern also is going to be a dogfight.

Rutgers should be a win but outside of that, there are no gimme’s on the road schedule. And if Michigan is going to be better than 8-4 in the regular season, it’s going to have to find a way to beat a good team on the road.

So far Harbaugh has beaten only one team with a winning record on the road and in year four, he needs to add to that total if Michigan is going to contend for anything but a ho-hum bowl game.