ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When it comes to the national perception of Michigan football at the moment, the Wolverines get some respect after having beaten Ohio State before going on to win the Big Ten and advance to the College Football Playoff. But the idea that the maize and blue will repeat seems rather far-fetched in the eyes of many.
While some of that is paying deference to an Ohio State team that’s been beyond consistently good, if not elite, the other part is a disbelief that Michigan can reload and repeat. A fair question, and one this team hopes to dissuade pundits of.
As the Wolverines ready themselves for the 2022 season, their sights are set differently, higher than last year. Last season, the focus was on ending the drought to the Buckeyes. This year, the team wants to beat all of the rivals in the same year, win the conference, get back to the College Football Playoff, and then some.
“Our goals for the season is different,” junior wide receiver Roman Wilson said. “Last year was more like beat our rivals. But this year is more like we want it all, we want to beat our rivals, go to the playoffs, Big Ten Championship, all that. We want to come for it all — we do. We don’t want to be what old Michigan was like, we want to set a new standard for us.”
Old Michigan. That is a team that has high expectations but falters mightily once the spotlight is on. The 2007 team. 2012. 2019. Years when Michigan football was expected to be among the country’s best and simply failed to succeed.
For Wilson and his teammates, they’re no longer settling for mediocrity. They no longer want a satisfactory year to be 8-4 or 9-3. Like how Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said at Big Ten media days in July, that the Buckeye standard is higher than 10-2, that’s what Wilson and the Wolverines want — better than very good — elite. And they know that the maize and blue have not lived up to the hype in years that weren’t 2021.
“It’s no surprise that…
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