We're back with our last Big Ten preview: Michigan. Writers Dave Birkett and Michael Rothstein will, as they have for the past two weeks, jaw back-and-forth with words, parting shots and general opinions about why we selected each team to finish where we did.

Sometimes we'll agree. Other times, we won't.

Dave Birkett: We're down to our last season preview package, but not our last For Argument's Sake. We'll reprise these discussions every week during the season as a way to preview Michigan games. Speaking of the Wolverines ... Predictions are all over the board on what Michigan will do this year. To me, everything comes down to the quarterback position. If Tate Forcier or Denard Robinson can provide some stability there, even be a weapon, Michigan can be a halfway decent team. If they play like the true freshmen they are, it could be another long season in Ann Arbor. The defense will be fine, not great. And the rest of the offense could be dangerous. But everything comes down to the quarterback.

Michael Rothstein: I can't disagree. Quarterback play is so essential in what Rich Rodriguez likes to run offensively. And in college football, if you can't put up 21 points a game consistently, you're just not going to be very good. Here's the good/bad news for Michigan here when it comes to whichever true freshman quarterback ends up starting: The first four games are at home. Yes, Michigan would probably have liked to flip woebegone Eastern Michigan into its first game instead of MAC-contending Western Michigan, but it is still a chance for whomever starts to have at least some comfort level before traveling to the land of Sparty. The worst thing Rodriguez could do early is flip-flop on his quarterbacks. He'll need to pick a guy and stick with him for a bit if for nothing else than to give everyone else a comfort level around him. Trust me, I saw the musical quarterback nightmare a couple years ago in South Bend. It wasn't pretty. Defensively, to me, is also an interesting question because there's a lot of youth back there in the secondary. Against Western Michigan and Notre Dame, that could be problematic early. What do you think?

DB: Neither of those games is a gimme, but if you want to be a bowl team you've got to beat other mediocre teams on your home field. That said, the Western game is especially big from a psyche standpoint. After losing to Appalachian State and Toledo the last two years, I'm not sure how fans would take another loss to a MAC team, even if this one's pretty good. Losing to Notre Dame would be more palatable (even taking into account that program's tailspin), but considering the schedule in October and beyond, I wouldn't recommend it. By that time Michigan will have settled on a quarterback - Forcier's the frontrunner, but don't count out Robinson, whose athletic ability plays better in a Rich Rodriguez offense - but it could start showing cracks elsewhere because of its depth problems.

MR: For Michigan to be a bowl team, like you said, they've got to beat mediocre teams. And that means the Wolverines need to be 3-1 after four weeks. Being undefeated is probably too much to ask from a team still trying to find its way with a freshman quarterback. As to settling on a quarterback, Michigan better do it much earlier than October, as I mentioned before. Multi-quarterback systems, unless it's a situation where one guy is a pure passer and the other guy is an option/spread guy, don't usually work. Beyond quarterback, I'm thinking the secondary is the key concern. Is Boubacar Cissoko able to step into the starting lineup and be effective as a cornerback? Or will teams pick on him to stay away from fast-emerging Donovan Warren. There's a ton of youth back there, too. As for different positions, it's generally a bad thing when your most stable position is punter. Yet going into fall camp, that's probably an accurate statement. To be fair, running back isn't too bad, either.

DB: Defensive line is the other big concern for me. There's not much depth up front, and beyond Brandon Graham, no one's proven up there. Graham's going to see a lot of double teams this year, so Michigan needs production from some of its other linemen. Mike Martin's a good bet to have a breakout season, but he's a true sophomore so I'm not going to expect the world from him just yet. Brandon Herron's another guy to watch as Michigan needs a pass-rushing threat out of that "quick" end position. In the bigger picture, what does Rodriguez have to do this year to prove he's the right man for the job?

MR: Simple. Get to a bowl game. Much like Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, USC and Alabama, these programs just don't tolerate two seasons of ineptitude in a row. A bowl game would show progress and that Rodriguez's system is on the right track. It doesn't have to be a BCS game (the talent level in Ann Arbor just isn't there yet) but a holiday trip somewhere warm could do the trick. A trip to Detroit, I suppose, would work too -- but that would be a no-win situation for Michigan against a MAC team. The one thing I'll preach here is patience. No matter what happens this season, I'll be shocked if there isn't some inconsistency. It wouldn't stun me to see this team upset a Michigan State or Iowa and lose to a team they shouldn't. That said, there are only three, definite, lock-it-up wins on the schedule (Eastern Michigan, Delaware State and Indiana).

DB: I don't know if the Motor City Bowl and all the Little Caesars you can eat will satisfy Michigan fans. And if I'm working on my daughter's first Christmas, send me to Arizona for the Insight Bowl at least. But you're right that Michigan and Rodriguez need to show progress this year in the form of making a bowl game. Even with a freshman quarterback (Forcier, presumably), I think they will. I've got Michigan starting the season 4-1 with a swing game Week 2 against Notre Dame. The second half of the schedule is brutal. Delaware State and Purdue are wins, but all the toss-up games (Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois) are on the road. If they can pull off one of those they finish 7-5 and, with a respectable showing but another loss to Ohio State, ride some momentum into next year.

MR: The Name-Change bowl might not satisfy Michigan fans, but it should. Remember, this is a work in progress at Michigan. Rodriguez just didn't have the right players last season for his system and the spread is so radically different from what Michigan ran in the past that it is going to take a while. That said, I also see the Wolverines bowl-bound this season. Western Michigan is going to be a closer game than most fans would probably like, but Michigan will pull away late. Notre Dame is a loss. It'll be a rough season for Michigan despite the bowl prediction. The Wolverines will be under .500 -- 4-5 -- entering November after a loss at Illinois. But they'll be bowl-qualified after beating Purdue and winning at Wisconsin. I say a 6-6 regular season (wins over Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Delaware State, Purdue and at Wisconsin) and, sorry dude, but a trip to the Motor City Bowl. Dave Birkett and Michael Rothstein cover Michigan for annarbor.com. They can be reached at davidbirkett@annarbor.com and michaelrothstein@annarbor.com.