By Steve Johnson | 09/21/2017 07:05:12It’s been a few months since the end of the 2017 regular season, and the Wolverines have been without a single player to be named in the National Football League All-Defensive team.
Michigan fans have been clamoring for the team to take a shot at a top-10 ranking in the upcoming draft, and that was not the case.
Michigan has not finished higher than third in the conference since the 2010-11 season, when the Wolverorns finished No. 8 and No. 16 respectively.
That was also the last time Michigan finished above fifth place.
Michigan had a rough time during the 2017 season, going 6-10 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
The Wolverines struggled to score points at times and lacked a dominant offensive weapon on the defensive side of the ball.
Despite all of that, Michigan was able to earn the No. 1 ranking in our 2018 preseason polls, and is currently second in our 2017 preseason rankings.
In terms of total player production, Michigan ranks eighth in our preseason ratings.
Michigan ranks second in yards per play (13.4) and is sixth in touchdowns scored (4.5).
It’s the Wolverils fifth straight winning season, the most recent being the 2017 campaign.
The Wolverines offense has had some issues at times in 2017.
Michigan ranked 27th nationally in rushing yards per game (3.0), and is the only team in the Big Ten to rank in the top five in rushing touchdowns (12).
The Wolverades running game has been the primary source of points, but it also struggled to consistently score points.
The defense, however, was a major reason for the Wolverans success in 2017, ranking fourth nationally in total defense (109.5) and fourth in total offense (1,058.8).
Despite being the nation’s top rushing team, Michigan struggled in the passing game.
Michigan was 28th in yards allowed per game, and it was third in yards-per-attempt (7.2) and passing yards per attempt (5.7).
Michigan ranked 25th in scoring offense per game and 20th in points per game.
The defensive side has struggled a bit as well.
Michigan is 28th nationally and 19th in the league in sacks allowed per games (6.9), which ranks 29th nationally.
Michigan finished last in total sacks allowed (17) and 20rd in total defensive sacks allowed (+2).
The most important reason for Michigan’s struggles was that Michigan ranked 29th in opponents’ total yards allowed, which is an improvement from the 2016 season.
Michigan is still in the running for a spot in the 2019 bowl, and has been linked to multiple potential bowl games.
The Big Ten, the ACC, and Pac-12 are the three schools that have a chance to be considered for the 2019 bowls, but the Wolverons have not made any formal bids.
