The season opener for Michigan football is nearly upon us.
Ever since the day Sherrone Moore was fired, the desire has been to get back to football. Kyle Whittingham will finally have the chance to do that on Saturday, as a 27.5-point favorite against a Western Michigan squad that won 10 games a season ago.
What makes Western Michigan dangerous is that it kept some of its best players. Broc Lowry, the quarterback, was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Jalen Buckley rushed for over 1,000 yards. The Broncs kept both, which is why some have pegged them as a playoff contender.
Western could put college football on notice with a win against Michigan football. The eyes of the sport will be on Bryce Underwood, and to a lesser extent, Whittingham in his debut.
Underwood is the X-factor for this game. If he takes a massive leap forward, anything is possible. Whittingham won 68 percent of his games at Utah. It will be interesting to see what he does at Michigan. It's an open question.
The line play should be improved on both sides of the ball. This team is stronger. The quarterback play will be better, thanks in part to Jason Beck. It will be a surprise if Michigan doesn't look like a better football team this season.
As far as winning more games, that effort starts Saturday. Rutgers got embarrassed as a heavy favorite, so that should be a wake-up call to every Power-4 team. No one can be taken lightly. The Wolverines shouldn't take this game lightly or it could spell trouble.
Looking ahead to Saturday night, here are three bold predictions and a score for Michigan vs. Western Michigan.
Michigan's offensive line will dominate
Underwood will be the focal point going into the game, but the offensive line will steal the show. Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter will both run for over 100 yards in the season opener.
Hiter was banged up a bit in a fall camp. He is going to play Saturday and he will show Michigan football fans what all the buzz has been about.
The Wolverines had three redshirt freshmen starting on the offensive line. They have a year of experience under their belt, have gotten stronger, and have one of the best offensive line coaches in college football coaching them.
That group should be noticeably better than it was last season, even though, at least in the run game, that group was pretty good. Just ask Justice Haynes.
This year, the running game will be even better. Bryce will even run a little on Saturday, although he won't have to run that much.
Bryce Underwood has multiple TDs and zero turnovers
Underwood struggled with turnovers at the end of the season, but he only threw interceptions in six of 13 games. He will need to better this season. Under Beck, with a better offensive line, better receivers, a QB coach, a year of experience, and the game slowing down, he will look sharp.
The stats might not be mind-boggling. If the running game performs, Underwood might not throw for 200 yards. My guess is around 215-225 total yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
Savion Hiter takes one to the house
Hiter is going to rush for 100 yards, but he won't need that many carries to do it. That's because he's going to break off a long touchdown run at some point, or at least a 40- or 50-yard run, like the ones Haynes ripped off last season.
We saw his ability to make people miss in the spring game. He was running behind backups, then, too. Behind the starting offensive line, with all the other weapons, Hiter will find a way to get out of the gate for an explosive touchdown run.
Prediction
Western Michigan has a talented offense. It's one that's hard to prepare for. I wouldn't be shocked if the Broncos found some success. However, Michigan will own the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines will be prepared for a running quarterback, and they will win 38-13.
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