Harold Shelton III, BTN Studio Researcher, August 14, 2016

Our annual summer football tour takes us to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the BTN crew will watch Jim Harbaugh's highly touted Wolverines practice.

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Before we head out to the practice field Monday, here are five nuggets to know about Michigan entering the 2016 season.

1. Jim Harbaugh is Michigan's second straight head coach to win at least 10 games in his first season, following Brady Hoke's 11-win 2011 campaign.

2. Michigan is expected to boast one of the nation's stoutest defenses, and these 2015 numbers, with FBS rank in parenthesizes, are a big reason why:

  • PPG: 16.4 (6th)
  • Rush YPG: 122.2 (16th)
  • Pass YPG: 158.5 (3rd)
  • Total YPG: 280.7 (4th)
  • Yds per play: 4.5 (5th)

3. The Michigan offense is pretty strong, too, thanks in large part to its improved big-play ability, going from 11 30-plus yard plays in 2014 to 21 last season.

4. Jourdan Lewis, a second-team AP All-American last season, defended 22 passes last season, good enough for the fourth-most in FBS.

5. The Wolverines' three toughest games in 2016, according to 2015 records, all come on the road (at Michigan State; at Iowa; at Ohio State)