Michigan Football 2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks, Odds | Sportsbookbuzz.com

Michigan Football 2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks, Odds

As the 2011 NCAA Football Season approaches, we are providing season previews for every college football teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best College Football Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2011 season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Football in our recommend sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2011 NCAA Football Season Previews here.

2010 Record: 7-6 Big 10 Record: 3-5 (T-7th) 2011 Returning Starters: 17: 8 Offense, 7 Defense, punter, kicker

Coach: Brady Hoke, First Season

Offensive Coordinators: Al Borges Defensive Coordinators: Greg Mattison

2011 Michigan Players to Watch: QB Denard Robinson, RB Michael Shaw, WR Roy Roundtree, WR Daryl Stonum, NT Mike Martin, DE Craig Roh, LB Jake Ryan, CB Troy Woolfolk

2011 Michigan Strengths:
Key returners on offense, including Robinson, could again make the Wolverines one of the Big Ten’s most explosive units. But the running game has to emerge as Robinson spends more time in the pocket, which should cut down on the abuse his body takes.

2011 Michigan Weaknesses:
Michigan’s lack of a consistent kicking game could be problematic in tight games. Last season, the Wolverines’ placekicking options couldn’t be trusted to come through.The defense has along way to go, and both sides of the ball are test driving new schemes.

2011 Michigan Offense:

Led by Denard Robinson’s out-of-nowhere breakthrough last year, the Michigan offense ranked first in the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 488.7 yards per game, a number also good for eighth in the country. Now the school’s new coaching staff will attempt to fix what wasn’t broken. Inheriting an offense that returns nine of 11 starters, Brady Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges have scrapped the spread-option offense that Robinson ran so well last year in favor of a pro-style set. It’s a bold gamble. But they believe a more balanced offense in which Robinson is still the triggerman will be more effective. Despite the change in offensive philosophy, Borges says he still expects to line up Robinson in the shotgun 10 to 12 times per game, and still expects to use three-, four-, even five-receiver sets at times. No matter the change, one maxim holds true: As goes Robinson, so goes the Michigan offense.

2011 Michigan Defense:

The good news for the Wolverines: They really can’t be any worse on defense than they were last year, when the unit allowed 458 points and 5,860 yards the worst marks in the program’s 131-year history. The bad news: The unit’s on its fourth defensive coordinator in five years, and that coordinator, Greg Mattison, will need to approach 2011 with largely the same cast of undersized players. Can he get more out of them? Mattison, the architect of the Baltimore Ravens defense the past few years, will return the Wolverines to the 4-3 they played when Hoke was a defensive line assistant in Ann Arbor from 1995-02. It’s a move that, at the very least, highlights the strengths of a deep defensive line and weak group of linebackers. The Wolverines will benefit tremendously from the returns of cornerbacks Troy Woolfolk and J.T. Floyd, whose injury-related absences left a secondary full of true freshmen in 2010. Both practiced in limited roles this spring.

2011 Michigan Special Teams:

None of Michigan’s four placekicking options emerged in the spring to become the dedicated starter. This comes a year after Brendan Gibbons and Seth Broekhuizen combined to hit on only 4 of 14 field goal attempts. The two incumbents – along with Jeremy Ross, Kris Pauloski and incoming freshman Matt Wile – are expected to vie for the job on a special teams unit in which only one player – punter Will Hagerup – has solidified his job.

2011 Michigan Football Schedule | Michigan Football Sportsbooks

2011 Michigan Predictions:

Say what you will about Rich Rodriguez his number of victories improved from three to five to seven in his three years in Ann Arbor. Hoke cannot backslide. He inherits a 7–6 team that played in a Jan. 1 bowl, and he returns 16 starters. That’s not a bad base. Spread or pro-style, this offense is not a concern. If Michigan is going to improve, it will have to start on defense. Seven true freshmen played significant roles last year. Their experience will help, along with the return of injured starters in the secondary. If they can find a linebacker or two, even a mediocre defense would be reason to celebrate in Ann Arbor this fall.

2011 Michigan Betting Odds:

Michigan Current odds to win a National Championship: +7500

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NCAA Football Handicapping Picks

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