Ranking Michigan Football’s 2022 opponents by difficulty

4. Penn State (Oct.15 home)

Michigan scored some huge wins last season but the Penn State game was easily one of the most important. I don’t think the Wolverines beat Ohio State if they don’t rally and knock off the Nittany Lions.

That game gave Michigan the confidence that it could win in a sticky situation when not everything went its way. If the Michigan State game shook that confidence, it was restored by that win in Happy Valley.

Penn State though is never an easy win. Harbaugh is 2-1 at home against James Franklin and the 2020 disaster doesn’t really mean much.

But Penn State football is underrated and could easily do what Michigan did in 2021.

3. Iowa (Oct. 1 away)

I had a real debate about making this game No. 2. It’s the one that Michigan football is most likely to lose outside of Ohio State, at least on paper.

The Wolverines seem to have a mental block against Michigan State. I don’t know what it is. The 2021 season started off well enough and then there was the total flop against the Spartans and everything went downhill from there.

Last season, Michigan squandered a 16-point lead. At any rate, Iowa, on the road, is always a nightmare, especially for the Wolverines.

Kinnick Stadium hasn’t been kind over the years. Michigan has lost four in a row and five of the last six on the road against Iowa. Somehow, if Michigan is undefeated, it makes it even scarier due to the Hawkeyes’ propensity to seemingly beat down a highly-ranked every season when it’s not expected.