Michigan Fans Will Have a Better Idea Saturday

Finally one of the longest offseasons in Ann Arbor is finally coming to an end. Michigan suffered a 3-9 season in 2008 and missed a bowl game for the first time in a very long time.

If that wasn't bad enough, they lost to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Penn State all in the same year.

The whole offseason was spent trying to figure out how to get the program back on track. Michigan was also in the news this week for the wrong reasons. The Detroit Free Press reported that players complained that NCAA rules regarding practice time requirements were violated.

The news isn't all bad for Rich Rodriguez. He finally has his quarterback in Tate Forcier, who will start on Saturday against Western Michigan. Although I do expect him to have plenty of growing pains in 2009, I do expect him to develop into a fine quarterback for the Wolverines.

I am curious to see what happens in the game tomorrow. In most years, you would expect Michigan to really make a statement against a MAC team. However, Western did beat Illinois last year. Although they did lose a lot on defense, Tim Hiller is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country.

While I am hoping Michigan really makes a statement, a victory of any kind would be a positive step. One way or the other, the fans will definitely have a better idea of how much improved Michigan is.

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