I agree the D will be very good. I don't think that's an overstatement. The backfield is very strong and deep. Peppers was not a given in this lineup and that says something. He will be on the field as a nickel to start the season most likely, as that position is mostly about athleticism and doesn't require a deep understanding of the defense, but again, I think that speaks to the quality of Taylor, Countess, Lewis, and the safeties. The LBs are experienced, which is a huge factor for the unit. Jake Ryan in the middle is a gamble, but a good one IMHO. He's a playmaker, so stick him in there and let him run around, play coverage, clobber people, and be JMFR. Morgan has been a starter the past 2 seasons and he apparently is not anymore because he was passed by younger, more talented, but previously inexperienced players. He will still see a lot of PT because the 4th LB on any team plays a decent amount, but it's exciting to see Hoke's younger and more highly touted players pushing the older players in the system. The D line is a bit thin, but Clark has lots of talent and experience, Henry is allegedly looking good, and there are a lot of talented bodies to rotate. This defense should produce a lot of pressure, 3-and-outs, and turnovers.
The offense is a different story. The headline is that the line is likely going to be horrible, but still less bad than last year. I'm aware that losing 2 NFL caliber tackles is typically going to make the line weaker, but those problems were really on Borges. There's a lot of other reasons the line was bad last year (e.g. some players have indicated that there was a clear division between the talented seniors and the younger OL), and while I think they may miss assignments more often, they should have fewer negative plays, which overall, would be an improvement. It's a real shame too that the line is likely going to be bad because the skill positions look decent. Devin really didn't have a fair chance to succeed last year and he is a talented kid. Having Funchess as a bona fide WR will help a lot and Chesson, Darboh, Canteen, and Norfleet makes for a decent WR corps. I'm not as bullish on the RBs as Twib, but there's certainly talent there. But, until they produce, I will assume we're lookig at Kevin Grady 2.0. At TE, Jake Butt is the only notable player and he's coming off an ACL injury. It will be a glaring weak point until he returns.
Even though Michigan's schedule isn't daunting by any means, I think the liberal range is 7-5 to 10-2. MSU and OSU will be tough, no question. @ND is usually a sketchy game. PSU could be a surprise this year. Don't know what to expect out of Utah. My honest expectation is 8-4, with losses @ND, @MSU, PSU, and OSU. Stealing one of those isn't out of the question by any means, and a 9-3 season would be more than welcome for me.
