Take Two: Can Patterson lead Michigan to Big Ten title?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

MORE: Mike Farrell's Three-Point Stance | Breaking down the Big Ten recruiting race

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Shea Patterson is finally eligible at Michigan and that’s a major step in the right direction for the Wolverines and an offense that sputtered in big games last season. One reason was because Michigan’s quarterbacks were not elite and the offensive line was highly questionable as well.

So here comes Patterson, who went through a lengthy and contentious transfer process coming from Ole Miss, but does it mean the Wolverines automatically kick into high gear and take over the Big Ten en route to a run at the College Football Playoff?

Not exactly. Patterson helps. That’s for sure. He’s an exciting, athletic playmaker at the position, something sorely missed from the quarterbacks during coach Jim Harbaugh’s three seasons back in Ann Arbor.

But Patterson is certainly not completely proven, either. He’s had many peaks but also some valleys during his time with the Rebels, leading Ole Miss to a big win over Texas A&M in relief of Chad Kelly as a freshman but also struggling in some big spots.

Patterson has only played in 10 games, completing about 61 percent of his passes for 3,139 yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 picks.

Still, Michigan’s receivers are older and should be improved. The offensive line should be better. The Wolverines’ defense should be outstanding. However, Michigan has finished no better than third in its own division so far under Harbaugh.

Is Patterson the necessary piece to catapult Michigan into national title contention or is much more needed in the stacked Big Ten East with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State?

“With Shea Patterson eligible, Michigan does possess the elements needed to make a title run — a top-five defense, an experienced, extremely talented quarterback guiding playmakers who grew up last season, and an offensive line now under the direction of Ed Warinner, who turned out championship lines at Michigan's arch rival. But making a run and getting there are two very different things.

"The Wolverines still face question marks along that offensive line, and they play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Games at Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State only scratch the surface, since they host Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska. While there's no game on that schedule they can't win, getting over the top in the close ones will tell the tale, and that's where Patterson's arm and legs could tip the scales.”

“I like him. He’s a very talented kid. He showed some of that at Ole Miss and we saw him when we had him rated No. 1 coming out of high school. I just think it’s going to be how does the supporting cast on offense play? They need those young wide receivers to continue to mature and step up. They need the offensive line to play much better than it did last year. They need the running game to click. For us to say Patterson is probably the starter, now it is a contender for the Big Ten, Ohio State looks pretty darn good. I would put them ahead of Penn State since Saquon Barkley is gone, but Penn State looks pretty darn good, too. I still think Michigan is in that second-tier in the Big Ten even with Patterson.”