Michigan Football: 5 Toughest QBs Wolverines Will Face in 2015

According to Odds Shark, there are 19 quarterbacks who stand a decent chance of winning the 2015 Heisman Trophy. Luckily or unluckily enough, depending on the point of view and if the odds hold, the Michigan Wolverines could experience the pleasure—or displeasure—of facing up to five of them this fall.

In fact, they could deal with up to three at once on Nov. 28—the date of their regular-season finale with the Ohio State Buckeyes, who boast a stiff-armed-hopeful trio of Cardale Jones (12-1 odds), Braxton Miller (25-1) and J.T. Barrett (2-1).  

Capping one of them is a challenge in itself.

Stopping all of them or a combination of the three on the same day would be nearly impossible.

There are also dates with Michigan State’s Connor Cook (20-1) and Brigham Young’s Taysom Hill (40-1). The gritty veterans will greatly influence the outcome of their meetings with Michigan. The arms don’t stop there, though—it appears that Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Utah’s Travis Wilson will also be in the way. 

That’s a lot of talent—and at least few miles of passing yardage and dozens of touchdowns scattered throughout September, October and November.

However, there is good news for Michigan: Defense has been its backbone for the past three years. With D.J. Durkin at the helm, Greg Mattison shifted to the D-line and Michael Zordich and Greg Jackson mounted in the secondary, there is good reason to believe that the trend will continue this fall.

Fielding a top-15 defense is certainly possible for Michigan. 

The word “tough” can mean a lot of things. Today, it means “difficult to play against and ultimately defeat.” With that said, the five “toughest” (likely) quarterbacks on Michigan’s 2015 schedule will be ranked based on individual ability and potential, past experience versus Michigan/other major-conference opponents and team strength.

All of that will be measured against Michigan’s personnel, past against said quarterback and other relevant statistics.

When finished reading, feel free to voice your opinion regarding the order in the comments section.

Travis Wilson, Utah

2014 stats: 2,170 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, five interceptions; 307 rushing yards, five touchdowns

On Sept. 3, Michigan opens its season versus the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. For starters, it’ll be Jim Harbaugh’s first game as head coach of his alma mater. Secondly, it’s on the road. And thirdly, the Utes pounded the Wolverines 26-10 during a rain-soaked meeting in 2014 before finishing the season with a record of 9-4.

And they won their bowl game versus Colorado State, 45-10—a game in which Wilson rushed for three touchdowns and threw for one.

Fourthly, Utah is quarterbacked by Travis Wilson, a senior who, with 41 career touchdown throws, is on the verge of something historical in Salt Lake City.

He’s pretty good, and so are the Utes; it makes sense to include him on this list.

He may not be athletically comparable to the rest of the players in this slideshow, but he’s certainly comparable in terms of toughness.

After being flipped out of bounds and onto his chin in the second quarter by Jake Ryan followed with being violently driven into the turf by Joe Bolden, Wilson returned to action, scuffed chin, face and all, to guide his team to a huge road win at The Big House last September—it doesn’t get much tougher than that, really.

Now, of course, his ability to do the same on his own turf largely depends upon how the quarterback situation unfolds at Utah. Coach Kyle Whittingham isn't offering any guarantees as to who will start, but common sense suggests it'll likely be Wilson. 

"He's going to be tough to unseat this fall but nothing is set in stone," Whittingham said in late April, per ESPN staff writer Ted Miller. "Kendal Thompson is a talent. He'll get his chance in the fall to show what he can do. I think competition is a healthy thing."

Whittingham added, per Miller, "Right now, Travis is our guy, but he's got to continue to play at a high level in order to keep his job."

At 6’7” and 230 pounds, Wilson, who has wins over USC, Stanford and BYU, should be one of the most difficult quarterbacks for the Wolverines to counter this season.

Taysom Hill, Brigham Young

2014 stats: 795 passing yards, seven touchdowns; 460 rushing yards, eight touchdowns

At first glance, Hill’s stats from 2014 don’t jump off the page. However, he put up those numbers in just 18 quarters (4.5 games). Had he not suffered a severe season-ending leg injury versus Utah State, the fifth game of the year, he probably would have gone on to post Heisman-esque numbers.

The Cougars, who were 4-0 with a healthy Hill, probably would have gone on to post better than an 8-5 record too.

"Going forward, I would like to do everything that I can to minimize the risk [of getting injured again]," Hill said this past November, per Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Despite a recovering knee, Hill, a viable two-way threat, has the hero gear—something that could very well lead to win at Michigan. He’s beaten Texas twice in a row, both on the road and at home, knocked off Boise State and Georgia Tech, and he’s hung close to Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

He may not be a household name across the country, but the 6’2”, 232-pounder is definitely worthy of attention.

“Just having him around changes everything,” said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, per NFLDraftScout.com. “We were on the verge of breaking into the elite level of teams a year ago with Taysom, and when goes down [with the leg injury], we struggle. 

“Just by having him around, our team is more confident," he continued. “They feel more capable and they’re certain we can score points against any team that we play. Just having that changes the outlook of what the season can be.”

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

2014 stats: 2,977 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 15 interceptions (has four career rushing touchdowns)

The time is now for Christian Hackenberg, a former super recruit who was once hailed as the next big arm in the Big Ten. The 6’4”, 236-pound junior has yet to deliver, but he hasn’t had much support at Penn State, which finished 7-6 this past fall—and it had the No. 14-ranked scoring offense in the league (20.6 ppg).

So why is Hackenberg, an underachiever up to this point, on this list? His potential, that’s why. That and Penn State can’t stay down for long. James Franklin’s recruiting and coaching philosophies are bound to produce, and that production could come this season.

As of now, Hackenberg doesn’t really have a career moment. His pass to Allen Robinson helped the Nittany Lions sneak away with a 43-40 quadruple-overtime win over the Wolverines in 2013—if that counts. He hung with Ohio State for four quarters in 2014—that has to be worth something.

As a freshman in 2013, Hackenberg went 7-5 and threw for 2,955 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If everything goes in his favor, he’ll easily top those figures this fall and shake his sophomore slump for good.

Because of his arm strength, it’s safe to say that Hackenberg will look to test Michigan’s secondary, perhaps more than any quarterback this season. For the most part, a lot of the "tough" quarterbacks also have the ability to run, making them a dual threat. Hackenberg is the prototypical pro-styler who can slice a field seam by seam. He’s not running anywhere on Nov. 21.

Other than Jourdan Lewis, who led the team with two, Michigan defensive backs had zero interceptions a year ago. Considering the level of talent among DBs, the dip from 15 picks in 2013 to two this past fall was a huge shock. Players such as Blake Countess, who just transferred to Auburn, and Raymon Taylor, who just graduated, should have had at least two of their own.

That’s the past. This year, Michigan has Jabrill Peppers hopping into the defensive backfield. The 6’0”, 205-pound redshirt freshman safety could end up with a few interceptions this season. And as a matter of fact, Hackenberg vs. Peppers could be quite the show.

Add in Wayne Lyons, a senior transfer from Stanford, at Countess’ old post, Lewis and a strong supporting cast, and the Wolverines have the makings of a stout secondary.

So really, Hackenberg vs. every one of Michigan’s defensive backs has the potential to entertain. Circle this one on the calendar. It could get good.

Connor Cook, Michigan State

2014 stats: 3,214 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions; 80 rushing yards, two touchdowns

In line to become the second quarterback to go 3-0 versus Michigan, Cook is widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. Most mocks drafts predict him as an early-first-round pick. With that said, there’d be a strong argument for Cook as Michigan’s top-rated toughest quarterback of 2015.

But why even pitter-patter around the subject? The top threats are the guys at Ohio State. But Cook, a 6’4”, 230-pound senior, is a close second.

Like Hackenberg, Cook has a rocket arm. Since coming onto the scene as Andrew Maxwell’s understudy, Cook has grown into an intelligent gunslinger as opposed to just being a gunslinger. There’s a difference. Sure, he forces some throws; he doesn’t always make life easy on himself either. But despite all of that, he’s thrown 47 touchdowns compared to 15 picks—he’s doing something right.

In 2014, Cook helped Michigan State to its sixth victory in the past eight series meetings with the Wolverines, who actually played Cook well by allowing just 12 completions (22 attempts), 227 yards and one touchdown. But Cook doesn’t need to have an all-star stat line to direct the tone of the game. In 2013, he completed just 18 of 33 attempts during a 29-6 win over Michigan.

He just knows what to do and when to do it, and he certainly has the Wolverines’ number. Cook could complete 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown and still have the Spartans in position to win on Oct. 17.

As a junior, Cook, a former Rose Bowl MVP who has beaten a list of heavyweights, led the Big Ten with 247 passing yards per game and finished second to Ohio State's J.T. Barrett in passing efficiency with a rating of 149.4.

Success down the stretch for Michigan could almost be guaranteed by beating Michigan State. Winning would fill the Wolverines with confidence heading into the final five games of the fall. Harbaugh wouldn’t turn down a win over Mark Dantonio on the first try, and the players certainly wouldn’t mind—especially the seniors—temporarily silencing their in-state rivals either.

If the football gods cooperate, this year’s edition of Michigan vs. Michigan State could feature another exciting quarterback vs. secondary airshow. May the best man, or men, win.

Urban Meyer's Guy on Nov. 28

Stats: Heisman numbers, man. 

By time Nov. 28 rolls around, Michigan will have faced two projected first-round quarterbacks in Hackenberg of Penn State and Cook of Michigan State, a potential Heisman candidate in Hill of BYU—Cook is supposed to be one too—and one of the hardest-nosed (literally) guys to step into Michigan Stadium in recent memory, that being Wilson of Utah.

Then it'll get to wrap it all up by squaring off with Cardale Jones, another projected early-rounder, and/or J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller.

Miller has played and defeated Michigan. So has Barrett. Jones, the newcomer, served as a steamroller during the Buckeyes’ run through the playoffs. He runs well, throws well and will probably beat Michigan.

As a matter of fact, that goes for each one of Ohio State’s guys—that’s why they’ll be the most difficult for the Wolverines to handle this year.

As of now, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer won’t tab a No. 1 starter. However, it’ll probably be Jones or Barrett.

Or maybe Miller?!

"I think the middle of training camp," Meyer said during the Big Ten spring football conference call in April, per Bill Landis of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "Every one of them deserves that opportunity and right now two of them aren't getting it. I think by the middle of training camp you have to have a handle on this thing."

Ohio State, which has two current and one former Heisman candidate in the running for starter, has a quarterback controversy? Now that’s a problem Michigan would love to have, but for now, it has to worry about what the other guys are bringing on Saturday.

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability. Roster information and player stats via player's official team bio and ESPN.