![]() ![]() The bar is low, but East Carolina is likely the best team of the six nonconference opponents on Michigan’s 20 schedules. Reason to watch: It’s the season opener, so of course you’ll be watching, even if you have to buy a Peacock subscription to do it. East Carolina will be retooling a bit after losing quarterback Holton Ahlers and running back Keaton Mitchell, who rushed for 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, but this is a solid team that should contend in the new-look American Athletic Conference. ![]() Their defense ranked near the bottom of the FBS, but they had a top-25 offense and a top-20 passing game. The Pirates went 8-4 last season, won a bowl game and nearly knocked off NC State in their season opener. Michigan beat Indiana 31-10 in the 2022 season. It’s worth tuning in to see if history repeats. Last year, the Wolverines beat Maryland 34-27 in a game that wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter. In 2021, Michigan had a tussle with Rutgers before holding on for a 20-13 victory. Reason to watch: Big Ten openers have been tricky for Michigan for the past two years. Maybe the addition of Division II transfer JaQuae Jackson at wide receiver can help quarterback Gavin Wimsatt take the next step. Greg Schiano has yet to have a winning season since returning to Rutgers in 2020, and fans are understandably restless after a 1-8 finish in the Big Ten last season. Rutgers hired well-traveled offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca to fix an offense that ranked 13th in the Big Ten in yards per play last season. Bazelak didn’t set the world on fire at Indiana, but he’s a competent quarterback who started games in the Big Ten and SEC and shouldn’t be fazed by the environment. His return should give this game a bit more juice than the typical matchup against a mid-tier MAC team. Reason to watch: Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler is a former Michigan quarterback who was Tom Brady’s position coach. They have a familiar face vying to replace three-year starter Matt McDonald at quarterback: Connor Bazelak, who was Indiana’s starting quarterback last season when Michigan won in Bloomington. The Falcons were 4-8 the year before, but one of those games was an upset of Minnesota. 16)īowling Green won six games last year and made its first bowl appearance since 2015. This will be good preparation for teams Michigan might face down the road. ![]() Michigan faced a similar style against TCU in the Fiesta Bowl and wasn’t able to run the ball with its usual authority. Reason to watch: Going back to his time as the defensive coordinator at Missouri, Odom was known for running three-man fronts and dropping a bunch of defenders in coverage. ![]()
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