OPINION: Ten predictions for Michigan sports in 2010 includes visions of a bowl game

1. Michigan’s new athletic director will announce a plan for renovating Crisler Arena. In 2009, Michigan scheduled the building of a new practice facility and offices. Now, it will finish the project by finalizing plans to renovate the inside of the arena where the Wolverines play. That has to be a priority for the new AD, because it’s the one major sport infrastructure on campus that needs work.

2. Michigan will make the NCAA tournament - in women’s basketball: Kevin Borseth has a bunch of freshmen, and it’ll be an up-and-down Big Ten year, but the Wolverines have the marquee win on their resume if they’re on the bubble.

3. Meanwhile, the men’s team will be in … the NIT: This isn’t a bad thing. Considering how Michigan is entering 2010, the NIT would mean the Wolverines play well enough down the stretch to finish at .500 or better, something that isn’t a certainty right now. It’d beat the College Basketball Invitational, which at least one friend texted me about inquiring on ticket prices in the first half of Michigan’s loss to Indiana on Thursday.

4. Bree Evans will make her way back to Michigan softball. Evans was injured sliding home during a fall ball game in October. While it would seem unlikely Evans will play this season, getting her back to campus and back on the team would be a great comeback story.

5. One Michigan team will make the Final Four. That will be Michigan’s volleyball team, which will surprise people despite losing Juliana Paz and others. Lexi Zimmerman returns for one more year, and when you have the best setter in the country, you’ve always got a chance.

6. Michigan will go to a bowl. It won’t be a New Year’s Day bowl or a BCS affair, but the Wolverines will be bowl-bound again in 2010 for the first time under Rich Rodriguez. The Champs Sports Bowl or Insight Bowl will call.

7. Speaking of which, Michigan finishes 8-4. The defense will be worse. The offense will be better. But the Big Ten will not be as strong as the past few years but Michigan will outscore a bunch of its opponents.

8. The Wolverines will have a 1,000-yard rusher - Mike Shaw. With Vincent Smith still recovering from a knee injury, Shaw will see a majority of the carries early, and he’ll bust through to a huge season, the main reason Michigan will be improved.

9. Michigan will start more than one quarterback in 2010. Tate Forcier will start early, but uber-recruit Devin Gardner will be too good to keep him on the bench.

10. That said, Ohio State wins again. The game will be close - and the Michigan football team will have a second-half lead, but the Wolverines will lose again to the Buckeyes in Columbus, 24-20. This time, though, it won’t be for a Big Ten championship for either team. Wisconsin - yes, Wisconsin - will have wrapped it up the week before.

And no one will see it coming.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.