Looking Ahead: Biggest Week 1 storyline for each of Michigan football's upcoming opponents

Michigan football kicks off the 2022 season on Saturday against Colorado State, but it is never too early to look ahead to what is going on with the rest of the schedule. All 12 opponents on the docket for the season have their share of storylines and pressures heading into the new campaign.

Each week, we will look down the slate of teams Michigan is set to battle with this year. Here is a roundup of what the biggest plot point is for each program the Wolverines will see heading into the first full week of the season.

Colorado State (Sept. 3)

The Wolverine: Colorado State coach Jay Norvell on Michigan: ’Easy to see why they’re a top-10 team’

The biggest storyline for Michigan’s Week 1 opponent is the fact that game week us upon us. Colorado State will be in town this weekend and head coach Jay Norvell sized up the Wolverines earlier in the week.

“Watching film of them, it’s easy to see why they’re a top-10 team,” Norvell said of Michigan at his Monday press conference. “I’ve known [U-M head coach] Jim Harbaugh for a long time, played against him in college [at Iowa] and played with him with the Chicago Bears for a brief stint and then coached with him with the Oakland Raiders.

“I’ve known Jim a long time. This football team is a reflection of what he feels about the game. They’re physical, they’re well-coached and they have very good players.

“Really excited about the opportunity, the challenge to go to Ann Arbor and start our ‘22 season.”

Norvell also shared a scouting report of what he has seen from Michigan:

“Offensively, they’re West Coast style. They averaged 35 points per game [in 2021]. A really strong offensive line — I think that’s the strength of their offense. Really quality running back in [junior] Blake Corum. Solid quarterback play. Quality wide receivers. Really good offensive team.”

“Defensively, they gave up 17 points a game last year, which was outstanding. 4-2-5 scheme,” Norvell said. “Really strong defensive line, and returning [senior nose tackle] Mazi Smith, 58, is just a tremendous player. Their linebacker, [sophomore] Junior Colson, 25, is excellent as well, and [senior] DJ Turner at corner are some of their outstanding defensive players.”

The Wolverines and Rams meet at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday in Ann Arbor. ABC has the national broadcast.

Hawaii (Sept. 10)

Warriors take 63-10 pounding from Vanderbilt in Week 0, QB battle still up for grabs

Head coach Timmy Chang’s debut at Hawaii could not have gone much worse, taking a 63-10 loss at the hands of Vanderbilt. The Commodores are considered one of the worst teams in the SEC, which paints a picture of just how much work there is to do at Hawaii.

“This first game, I know these guys were excited to play,” Chang said after the game. “Their intentions were in the right place. They played pretty good coming out the gates. Through time, things started to happen and the result is what it is. For me, it’s back to the drawing board. It’s getting those guys in there, grading themselves really hard, it’s a self-evaluation of ourselves as coaches. Knowing what we have, what we can do and what we cannot do and continue to get better. Because this week is coming up quick against Western Kentucky.”

Michigan’s biggest storyline for Hawaii week will be sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s first collegiate start, but the Warriors have their own battle to sort out.

Sophomore Brayden Schager got the start, but junior Joey Yellen got some run in the third quarter. Schager finished the game 18-for-35 with 161 yards, while Yellen went 10-for-20 with 89 yards. They posted QBRs of 26.6 and 23.2, respectively.

“We felt like in some cases that it was a close quarterback battle through camp. There was a good series in there, that first series was pretty good with Schager. I thought he did well. We had an unfortunate turnover for six on a fumble a little bit after. I think there’s a field goal in there if I remember. There were some opportunities early on that I think we could have capitalized on. We wanted to give Joey another opportunity to show what he can do and really see what we have as a team.”

We will see if any clarity comes this week in matchup with Western Kentucky before heading to the Big House in Week 2. That game is set for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Big Ten Network.

UConn (Sept. 17)

The UConn Blog: Takeaways from season-opening loss to Utah State

The Huskies will come to Ann Arbor for a date with Michigan in Week 3 and appear to be improved under first-year head coach Jim Mora Jr. Utah State grabbed a 31-20 victory, but the game was competitive throughout and UConn’s identity has started to take shape.

UConn, who went 1-11 last year – has been one of the worst teams in the FBS for several years and is expected to remain that way this season. However, running back Nathan Carter could be a player to watch when the Huskies hit Ann Arbor.

From Luke Swanson of The UConn Blog:

The running back’s 190 yards on the ground was the highest mark for a UConn rusher since David Pindell’s last season with the Huskies, and his elite 9.5 yards per carry kept the Huskies’ offense rolling even well after their starting quarterback exited the game.

Despite being listed as the second running back on the depth chart, Carter led the team in carries as expected, and did the most with what the offensive line gave him. Charlton’s rushing offense was basic but well-designed, mixing in power and trap concepts with a splash of zone blocking thrown in, and Carter hit the hole decisively, making smart cuts and breaking tackles in a way we saw glimpses of in the 2021 season. Carter will continue as the Huskies’ lead back and primary offensive weapon going forward.

UConn plays Central Connecticut State this weekend before hosting Syracuse in Week 2. Their game at Michigan is set for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff. They are searching for their first victory since Oct. 16, 2021 vs. Yale.

Maryland (Sept. 24)

Terrapins look to start (and finally stay) hot in 2022

Maryland has been a preseason media darling in the past and failed to live up to the hype. That is a label they are looking to shed heading into the 2022 season. Vegas has the over/under for total wins set at 5.5 despite an explosive offensive headlined by quarterback Taulia Tagavailoa and wide receiver duo Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus Jr.

“I know the guys are looking forward to competing against somebody other than themselves this weekend,” head coach Mike Locksley said this week. “I love this time of the year because it’s where we find out what kind of team we have going into this year.”

Winning the ones they are supposed to win has never been a huge issue of late. Locksley and the Terrapins will likely rack up victories in non-conference play. Will this be the year they be more than a stepping stone in the Big Ten East? That is a question that will not be answered until conference play begins. Poetically enough, they begin Big Ten play against defending conference champ Michigan in Week 4.

On the schedule this week is the Buffalo Bulls from the Mid-American Conference, coached by former Michigan assistant Maurice Linguist. Buffalo went 4-8 last season and 2-6 in conference play. They travel to Charlotte in Week 2 and will host SMU at home on Sept. 17.

Iowa Hawkeyes (Oct. 1)

Hawk Central: Iowa football’s wide receiver room is depleted by injury. How will that impact Saturday’s offense?

Iowa is a constant threat to come out of the Big Ten West, but it has plenty of offensive questions heading into the season. Quarterback play has been questionable, the offensive line might not quite be the norm for an Iowa team, and progress might now be stalled by an injured position group.

The wide receivers have taken a hit in the leadup to the 2022 season. After an offseason of transfers, injuries are making it difficult to field a starting-caliber lineup of wideouts.

Senior Nico Ragaini is set to miss time with an injury, along with junior Jackson Ritter and sophomore Diante Vines. Ritter is out for the year. Vines will miss half the year.

Sophomore Keegan Johnson could also miss Saturday’s opener. Nightmare scenarios abound in Iowa City.

“It’s been touch and go,” Ferentz said. “We’ve had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup with injuries, that type of thing. And that’s always frustrating, no one’s more frustrated than the players involved but he’s got a chance to play, we’ll see where it all goes.” 

The Hawkeyes can probably survive the week with South Dakota State rolling into town. All eyes will be on wideout health for next week’s showdown with Iowa State.

Indiana (Oct. 8)

The Athletic: Tom Allen, Hoosiers enter 2022 season a total mystery

Indiana opens its season on Friday night against Illinois, who played in Week 0 and notched a victory over Wyoming. This is a season to find out if either of the past two years were anomaly’s for head coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers.

From Bob Kravitz of The Athletic:

There have been whispers that this is an inordinately important season for Allen in terms of his long-term security, but I’m not buying. He’s had two typical IU seasons (5-7 twice), one breakthrough season (8-5), one miracle season (6-2) and one flameout (2-10). Even if he has another poor season, he’s going nowhere, nor should he. IU never seems to stick with its coaches — except Bill Mallory — but Allen is the right guy for this job. And it doesn’t hurt that his 2020 recruiting class was ranked the highest of any class in IU history, at least since they started ranking such things.

A referendum on Allen? I don’t think so.

This opener, though, is huge. Beat Illinois, which is coming off a one-sided victory over Wyoming, and the Hoosiers have a chance to be 3-0 heading into No. 23 Cincinnati on Sept 24.

Lose, and it’s “here we go again.”

Illinois has the advantage of having played and knocked some of the rust off. It’s cliché, but it’s true: The biggest jump a team will make is between the first and second games.

IU has the advantage of being a complete mystery to Illinois, and they have some film on the Illini.

This season will not be an anomaly. This season will give us a better idea who the Hoosiers are. I don’t see them becoming bowl eligible, but five victories are a reasonable and necessary expectation.

Friday night’s game in Bloomington kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. They host Idaho in Week 2.

Penn State (Oct. 15)

James Franklin downplays OL concerns ahead of Purdue matchup

Penn State head coach James Franklin told the media he was not going to hype up his offensive line this year at Big Ten Media Days in late July.

The time for words is coming to an end anyways with an opening week game at Purdue on Thursday night. Franklin maintains that his words on the offensive line were not meant as a shot, but rather a hedge.

“I think what I said, I don’t think comes off as negative,” he said this week. “I don’t think it comes off as positive. It’s measured. I have felt good in years past and we haven’t been able to consistently play at the level that we need to play at. It wasn’t like this big comprehensive plan in the offseason and in the summer to not talk about them. I just said I’m not I’m not going to get up here again and tell you. I’m going to prove it to you. And they’re going to prove it to you.”

Penn State and Purdue kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night from West Lafayette. The Nittany Lions are a 3.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 52. They play Ohio at home next week before heading to Auburn in Week 3.

Michigan State (Oct. 29)

Detroit Free Press: Here’s why Michigan State’s opener is so strange for Payton Thorne — and his mom

Michigan State’s Friday night opener against Western Michigan has natural in-state ties, but it has a major familial one.

MSU quarterback Payton Thorne and his team will take on a Broncos group coordinated offensively by his father, Jeff Thorne.

Head coach Mel Tucker made sure it was not going to be a distraction going into the week.

“We had a long talk about it, and other things,” Tucker said Monday. “I don’t think he’s been in the situation before. He says it’s not a distraction for him. But this is a human performance business, you know. That’s his dad. So we have to address it and talk about it.”

Jeff Thorne never shared the gridiron with his son before, instead coaching him in baseball. The dynamic changes for a night in East Lansing this weekend.

“I coached Payton for so many years in baseball and really have never coached him in football,” he said. “He was really a high-end baseball player. He just kind of lost interest. It doesn’t move fast enough for him.”

Friday night’s game from Spartan Stadium kicks off at 7 p.m. ET. Michigan State will host Akron in Week 2 and head to Washington on Sept. 17.

Rutgers (Nov. 5)

Rutgers still playing coy about its quarterback situation

People have been throwing jabs at Michigan for extending its battle with two quarterbacks, saying if they have two they have none. Rutgers apparently has three.

Senior Noah Vedral and sophomores Gavin Wimsatt and Evan Simon are both listed as “OR” on Rutgers’ depth chart ahead of this weekend’s opener at Boston College.

From SB Nation’s BC Interruption:

Last year’s starter and former transfer from Nebraska, sixth-year senior Noah Vedral, is fighting to keep his job. Vedral started all 13 games for the Scarlet Knights last season with numbers that left much to be desired. He threw as many TDs (7) as INTs (7) for the 11th-worst offense in all of FBS on a YPG-basis.

He’s being challenged by sophomore Gavin Wimsatt, a former 4-star recruit and the 23rd-ranked QB in his class. Wimsatt is the ultimate athletic dual-threat QB that so many programs are looking for in their starting signal callers. Wimsatt is a “play-extender outside the pocket and a runner, whether designed or scrambling” and brings a lot to the table that current starter Noah Vedral just doesn’t have. Vedral rushed for just 297 yards in 13 games last season, which is respectable but not nearly at the level Wimsatt is expected to be.

We will see what head coach Greg Schiano ultimately decides to do. Saturday’s game at Boston College kicks off at 12 p.m. ET.

Nebraska (Nov. 12)

Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost says he’s not at odds with offensive coordinator Mark Whipple following season-opening loss to Northwestern

Scott Frost’s disatrious tenure at Nebraska (15-30 record since 2018) added another chapter last weekend in a Week 0 loss to Northwestern. He is already answering questions about tension between he and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.

Frost said after the game that Nebraska needed to be more creative on offense and the staff has to work better together. Many read that as a direct shot at Whipple, who Frost hired to hand the reigns to the offense.

Frost claims they are not at odds.

“No, not at all,” he said this week. “He’s really smart. Really good at what he does. We have a lot of other coaches who are really smart and good at what they do. We need to find our rhythm of putting all the best stuff together. I thought it was good on Saturday. It can be better.

“Simply said, if I was calling a game, I wouldn’t want somebody else shoving a lot of stuff down my throat. You get in a rhythm as a playcaller. That’s the approach I took. Whip’s an elite playcaller. I think that showed up in the first two-and-a-half quarters. You see what can be done with this offense.”

The Cornhuskers have two weeks to get ready for Oklahoma on Sept. 17. They will play North Dakota and Georgia Southern in the non-conference the next two weeks at home.

Illinois (Nov. 19)

Bret Bielema weighs in on Indiana

Illinois moved to 1-0 on the season with a 38-6 win over Wyoming in Week 1 and heads to Indiana for a Friday night kick with the Hoosiers. Another win and getting to 2-0 could add some tangible momentum to Illinois’ climb up the Big Ten pecking order.

“Indiana is kind of another step with what Wyoming was. They have had a lot of turnover on the offensive, defensive and special teams units,” head coach Bret Bielema said this week. “A lot of new players coming out of the portal world. The added element of Wyoming was we kind of knew who their coordinators were and what they were going to do, but offensively and defensively — special teams is a little bit of a constant at Indiana — two new coordinators.

“Don’t know exactly what that is going to be, so a lot of Friday is going to be about the ability to be aware and adjust during the course of the game and handle the moments.”

Friday night’s game kicks off at 8 p.m. from Bloomington. Illinois will play Virginia next week at home.

Ohio State (Nov. 26)

Yahoo! Sports: Now is the time for Ohio State’s Ryan Day to prove he wasn’t born on third base

Ohio State enters the season loaded with talent and ranked No. 2 in the country. And yet, there are questions about the program coming off an eye-opening 2021 season.

The Buckeyes were bullied in losses to Oregon and Michigan. Utah gave them a heck of a push in the Rose Bowl, but they found a way to win. The loss in Ann Arbor is one that precipitates a change or adjustment in approach.

Now head coach Ryan Day is being looked at with the expectations as high as they have ever been in Columbus.

From Dan Wetzel:

It was after that loss that Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh essentially accused Day of being unduly arrogant or unappreciative or, well, something. And this despite being supposedly gifted a prime coaching opportunity.

“Sometimes the people standing on third base think they hit a triple,” Harbaugh said. “But they didn’t.”

This was a broadside, arch-rival kind of bomb. And it is a charge that, at least in part, is ridiculous. Day, 43, played at the University of New Hampshire and climbed through nine jobs in college and pro football before arriving as an assistant in Columbus in 2017. He is where he is because of hard work, ambition and a whole lot of coaching talent.

That isn’t to say there wasn’t a kernel of lingering truth.

Day’s first head coaching job wasn’t just at Ohio State, but an Ohio State program firing on all cylinders under Urban Meyer. There is no need to apologize for that, but the reality was he didn’t need to build anything or overhaul anything. He needed to maintain.

Until he leads Ohio State to a national title, or at least something very close, on his own, he won’t fully shake Meyer’s shadow. At least in some quarters.

Ohio State is a 17.5-point favorite over No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. They host Arkansas State and Toledo the next two weeks.