Michigan Football: Breaking down Wolverines 2021 schedule

Michigan football announced its 2021 schedule on Friday and here are some initial thoughts about what the Wolverines are facing next season.  

Looking ahead to next season, we finally got a look at what the 2021 Michigan football schedule will look like and while there are certainly some positives, it’s not going to be easy.

Of course, when you play a nine-game Big Ten schedule, it’s always going to be challenging and one of the three non-conference opponents is going to be Washington, although the game will be at the Big House.

The Wolverines will open with four straight games at home starting with Western Michigan (Sept. 4) and then Washington (Sept. 11). Michigan football will then host Northern Illinois and Rutgers on Sept. 18 and Sept. 25.

Then, the schedule gets much more difficult as the Wolverines will face three of four games on the road with trips to Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan State sandwiched between a home game against Northwestern.

This is one of the years that Michigan has to play five Big Ten games on the road. The other trips are to Penn State and Maryland, while the other home games are against Indiana and Ohio State.

The Ohio State game being in Ann Arbor is somewhat significant because there was some thought that it could be moved back to Columbus since the game there was canceled.

That means the Wolverines will play two straight games at home against Ohio State. The weird quirk is also out the schedule that has Michigan play at Ohio State and Michigan State in the same year.

The Spartans will host Michigan after playing two straight at the Big House. The Wolverines will also host Indiana after two consecutive trips to Bloomington.

Initial thoughts

With four straight home gams, there is obviously a chance to start the season strong but that will depend on getting solid play early on, especially at the quarterback position.

I offered a preview of what the offensive depth chart could look like next season, but the big question is when will J.J. McCarthy assume the starting job?

Just say he wins the job outright and is a really productive player right away. Not a superstar or anything, but freshman quarterbacks can play well and I think McCarthy certainly has a chance to win the job and do just that.

I also think McNamara is better than people give him credit for. Still, this program has had a tough time winning at Wisconsin and Penn State.

The other road games against MSU, Nebraska and Maryland are all winnable but not going to be easy. Winning against the Spartans is never easy and that will be an absolute slugfest.

Nebraska is showing signs of improvement and every game will be a must-win for the Huskers as they hope to get back to a bowl game. The Wolverines have generally played well against Maryland but assuming U-M loses to Wisconsin and Penn State, even if it lost one of those games, it would need to run the table at home to reach nine wins.

And we all know the Ohio State game looms in Ann Arbor. Plus, Indiana is going to be a very strong team again in 2021. Northwestern is always salty and just won the West Division. Not to mention, Washington is pretty good.

While there is certainly potential for a 10-win season, especially if everything comes together at the quarterback spot, 8-9 wins seems more likely. Yet, even that won’t be easy.

But as long as one of those wins includes a victory over Michigan State, an 8-9 win season would be a success in my view, especially if McCarthy is able to assume the job by season’s end.