Michigan Football: 10 predictions for the Wolverines in 2022

9.) Michigan wins by multiple scores…at Iowa. 

Many fans are fretting about Michigan’s trip to Kinnick Stadium at the beginning of October as a potential loss for the Wolverines. And given that the Wolverines have lost the last four times they traveled to Iowa City, the concern is understandable.

However, the Hawkeyes lost arguably their two best players from last season’s offense: All-American center Tyler Linderbaum and RB Tyler Goodson. And what’s notable about that is that the Hawkeyes offense was not even good, to begin with, finishing a paltry 94th in scoring offense last season. And given that they made no moves to address their concerning QB situation during the offseason, it is hard to see the Hawkeyes defense really taking a significant leap forward from a team that only managed 3 points against Michigan football in Indy last year.

And while the defense does return a lot of really good players, such as All-Big Ten linebacker Jack Campbell, Michigan’s offense, which put up 42 points on this “vaunted” Iowa defense last season, actually returns even more of their production than Iowa’s defense does.

Short to say, while the results in 2021 do not mean Michigan is a shoo-in to win in 2022, it does highlight the fact that the fear over Iowa has little to due with Iowa’s actual roster than it does with fear over playing in Kinnick. Unless Iowa shows a significant turnaround on offense, Michigan will walk out of Kinnick Stadium with a 24-13 win over the Hawkeyes, breaking their losing streak in Iowa City.

10.) Michigan’s win against Nebraska on November 12th sees the official end of Scott Frost’s tenure in Lincoln. 

It is no question that Scott Frost is on the hot seat. He even pulled the same move Jim Harbaugh pulled after the 2020 season, accepting a reduced salary in order to revamp his staff for another go at righting the ship. The Huskers are scheduled to visit Ann Arbor, where Scott Frost has never won, neither as a player nor coach, and that could be the nail in the coffin for Frost’s tenure.

And the relationship between Michigan and Scott Frost has always been contentious. Whether it was Frost’s ridiculous comments about how his then-UCF team “outhit” Michigan in a 37-point loss or his comments about the Wolverines as the Huskers QB back in 1997, there is no love lost between the two.

And with Frost on the hot seat, he will almost certainly need bowl eligibility at a minimum to retain his job, but with matchups against Oklahoma and Minnesota and a road game against Purdue, there’s a very real chance that Frost is entering the Michigan game on November 12th still short of that elusive sixth win.

A massive win by the Wolverines could prove to be the nail in the coffin for Frost’s time coaching his alma mater, and there are many Wolverines fans out there who would be excited to see that happen.