This is the third in a series of articles about teams from each of the Power 5 conferences that will be surprisingly better or worse than currently expected.
The consensus opinion on Jim Harbaugh's year one impact as the Michigan Wolverines head coach is that he will improve upon last season's 5-7 mark.
That may be considered faint praise since last year's win total was tied for the second-lowest since Bo Schembechler took over the program in 1969, but the truth of the matter is, this program could clear the double-digit win bar in 2015.
Here are 10 reasons Michigan could post at least 10 wins this season.
(Note: Unless otherwise specified, the metrics referenced below are from games against Power 5 opponents and the rankings indicate Michigan's placement among the 65 Power 5 teams.)
1. Upgrade at quarterback
The Wolverines have many options to upgrade a 43.2 Total QBR mark that finished 10th in the Big Ten.
The leading candidate after spring practice is Shane Morris, but Jake Rudock could end up under center at the start of the 2015 season. The Iowa transfer was tied for third in the Big Ten in Total QBR in 2014 (72.5) and has the benefit of moving to a play-calling system that is conceptually quite similar to the one he used.