ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- At first, Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham said that it might take a few years until his newfound team could contend for a conference championship. And then he got into fall camp and revised his expectations -- this is a team that could win now.
While the on-field component matters, what bolsters Whittingham's confidence is how the team is off the field. He noted on Monday that teams that are player-led tend to do better than ones that are simply talented. And what he sees from these Wolverines is a bunch of players who have bought in and are all pulling in the same direction.
"First of all, this team's got outstanding leadership," Whittingham said. "If you have a team that is player-driven, player-owned, player-governed,
then you get a chance to be really good.
"That's the first thing, is the leadership has been exceptional. We've got some really good players. Bryce Underwood's development has been very encouraging. The defensive line, as we've talked about, is always the starting point. You want to play great defense; you better be great up front. We feel like we're going to be really good up front. We've got a lot of pieces that are in place.
"How it all comes together, can you stay healthy, that's always a huge thing. You go through a season, all of a sudden you lose five or six starters, the whole complexion changes. If you can stay healthy and have the ball bounce your way a few times, you get a chance to be really good."
That was also the case in 2021, when the team galvanized around each other following a 2-4 campaign in 2020. But unlike in 2021, when the Wolverines had just a handful of tough games, this team has six, seven, or maybe even eight, on the schedule that could end up as losses if things go poorly on the field.
The biggest games -- Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, at Oregon, and at Ohio State -- are all pretty close to toss-ups if not projected losses. But even the road game at Minnesota and the penultimate regular season game against UCLA could be tricky.
Regardless, Whittingham loves competition, and he loves the schedule ahead of him and the team. He's not about to downgrade his expectations because there are some tough teams that the Wolverines have to play this year.
"Bring it on. No complaints, no whining," Whittingham said. "We'll be there every single week. It's the Big Ten. I don't think there's ever going to be a year where the schedule's a piece of cake. I just don't foresee that."
It all starts with a Week 1 contest against Western Michigan this Saturday at 7:36 p.m. EDT at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham believes Michigan football can win Big Ten now
