The Michigan Wolverines face elaborate expectations as the 2016 season begins, but much of the hype generated operates outside of the bubble contained within the team's schedule. Yes, Jim Harbaugh's team faces a breezy set of teams at the beginning of the campaign, but after that, things get dicey and it will be interesting to see how the Wolverines fare.
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Today, we will continue our series in previewing (and ranking) Michigan's 12 opponents this season. In the first post, Hawaii was the centerpiece and, today, we turn our attention to the Central Florida Knights, who visit Ann Arbor on Sept. 10. Let's go.
2015 Performance
Well, this wasn't good. UCF finished the 2015 campaign with an 0-12 record and that speaks for itself. The Knights were competitive against Florida International and Furman in one-point losses, but aside from that, it was a bloodbath of epic proportions in the final season under George O'Leary.
What to expect in 2016
On the bright side, UCF does return nearly everyone from last year's team and, under Scott Frost, the future looks to be fairly bright. Whether that transpires in 2016, though, is anyone's guess. The Knights will likely play fast, as Frost comes from the Oregon Ducks school of thinking, and with some real talent on board, the results should be better. Most projection systems don't exactly see a stellar season in the offing and, well, there are reasons for that.
Baseless prediction
Michigan opens against Hawaii (the easiest opponent) and follows that up with UCF the following week in the Big House. At this point, I would expect the Wolverines to be (at least) a four-touchdown favorite in that spot, and unless Michigan struggles wildly in the opener, it may be even higher. Anything short of a blowout win would be unsatisfying, though it is necessary to indicate that the Knights are far more talented than Hawaii.
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Stay tuned as the preseason opponent countdown continues.
