Michigan Football: 5 predictions for the Wolverines against Florida

Michigan won’t turn into the air-raid offense, but Shea will throw 30 times plus

When it comes to this matchup, the most important player to me for Michigan football is going to be Shea Patterson. Certainly, he will need help from pass catchers and offensive lineman, but if he plays well, the Wolverines are going to win the game.

In games against other ranked teams like Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin, Patterson was great. He didn’t have an interception and that includes winning at Northwestern too, the team that won the Big Ten West.

Those were Michigan four biggest wins and in those games, Patterson was very good. In this game, he will need to be one of the best players on the field and if put in the right position, he easily could be.

Florida has a very good pass rush, so the Michigan offensive line needs to keep him clean, the running game needs to be somewhat effective but mostly Patterson needs to sling it and the coaching staff needs to trust him. But after a few weeks of bowl practices and studying this opponent, I have a feeling Jim Harbaugh and company will come out aggressive.

They want to make a statement in this game and if this coaching staff can’t come up with some creative ideas with a month to prepare, that’s an issue. For comparison in 2016, Jake Rudock was 20-of-31 for 278 yards and three touchdowns. So Harbaugh is capable of opening things up.