On paper, Jim Harbaugh has had deeper rosters at Michigan. By public opinion, he's had better teams capable of bigger things. As the Wolverines prepare for an eight-game season that kicks off Saturday at No. 21 Minnesota, it's hard to envision them finishing with more than a handful of wins.
But with an offseason of uncertainty behind them, Harbaugh sees a special trait in a group that might be capable of special things: oneness.
"Probably the most important thing," Harbaugh said Monday. "Nothing more important than team and oneness."
It was the buzzword of a press conference that lasted almost 25 minutes. It will become the buzzword of this season if the Wolverines exceed expectations. Anytime Harbaugh discussed his team's potential, its oneness is the quality he emphasized.
"I really like the talent level on the team. I love the competitive nature of the team -- and that is a team. As I said, nothing more important than oneness. I really feel like this team is at a championship level in terms of that," Harbaugh said.
Michigan lost a host of starters from last year's squad that finished 9-4, including four on the offensive line. The talent that returns is mostly unproven -- highlighted by junior quarterback Joe Milton. The floor for the Wolverines is probably four wins. Their ceiling is much harder to project.
"You want to see a team that goes out there Saturday night and is flying around, running to the ball, playing smart and having at it -- especially in a first game where some guys haven't played," Harbaugh said. "You know they're talented and you know they're really competitive.
"So you put those talented and competitive guys out there and see what happens."
It's what happened throughout the offseason and fall camp that buoyed Harbaugh's hopes. The players leaned on each other to improve. They stuck together when it wasn't clear if there would be a season this fall, and they're ready for it now that it's here.
"It's been that kind of group," Harbaugh said. "A lot of really good leaders, a lot of guys that are really invested, a lot of guys that really like each other, a lot of guys that really like football.
"Every step of the way through uncertain times, I think they have relied on each other more. Even the concept of allowing the team to make you a better player, to help you be a better player. Taking some of the best virtues from other players on the team and adopting those. That's both having great leaders and having guys that really want to be as good as they can be."
Togetherness will no doubt help Michigan this season. So would a breakout performance by Milton, who's both long on talent and short on experience. His big arm is one of the biggest reasons to believe in this team, even if we've only seen it in flashes the past two years.
Harbaugh said Milton's "made a lot of strides" while running the first-team offense in practice, especially in terms of throwing with more finesse.
"Joe's got an extremely strong arm, but he really took the heart to throw passes with touch, necessary passes. I think he made a lot of growth in that way. Putting the appropriate elevation on the ball has really made it a catchable ball, if you can picture that.
"There's been a great dialogue between the receivers and tight ends and backs, and Joe has really done a great job in that regard."
Across the roster, dialogue was essential this offseason. About trying to play amid a global pandemic, about tackling deeper issues of social injustice, about staying sharp for an opportunity that wasn't promised. About reclaiming that opportunity after it was lost, about making the most of it starting Saturday in Minnesota.
All of that dialogue has spawned a close-knit group, whose potential might exceed its talent, whose product might be greater than the sum of its parts.
"The team aspect, the guys having each other's backs, just the oneness of the team, been thrilled to be around it," Harbaugh said. "I really like these players, I think they really like us, they like me and they like their teammates. It's a fun team to coach."
