Here’s what Sports Illustrated penned about the Wolverines being the preseason No. 11 team in the country:
Player you need to know: Junior defensive end Chase Winovich is a former high school quarterback who started two games last season and had eight TFLs and five sacks while playing in the shadow of the now NFL-employed Taco Charlton on a loaded defensive line. Ask Wolverines team leaders who they expect to have a breakout 2017—aside from defensive tackle Rashan Gary—and a lot will stump for Winovich. In hopes of becoming more than primarily a third-down edge rusher, Winovich bulked up in the offseason, adding 10 pounds, so that he now checks in at 6′ 3″, 245. Offensive tackle Mason Cole, who faces Winovich at practice every day, said of his seemingly tireless teammate, “He has the best motor I’ve ever seen.”
Path to the playoff: The Wolverines open with Florida in Texas (Sept. 2), then face Top 12 in-conference foes Penn State (Oct. 21) and Wisconsin (Nov. 18) on the road before hosting Ohio State (Nov. 25). The PSU game follows a bye for the Lions, who are hungry for payback after a 49–10 pasting last year.