Year five of the Jim Harbaugh era starts in August.

For the first time in his head coaching career, Michigan’s head coach will coach his fifth season at the same place. He coached at San Diego for three years, Stanford for four, and the San Francisco 49ers for four as well. This will be a first for Harbaugh and it should be his best shot for him to capture his first ever Big Ten Championship.

While the Wolverines did lose some key players from last season — like Chase Winovich, Devin Bush, Rashan Gary, and Karan Higdon — there is a different feel around the Big Ten this off-season and around Ann Arbor. Harbaugh is adapting and changing up what hasn’t worked for the first four seasons, exemplified by him bringing in new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to oversee that side of the ball.

While the initial rebuilding phase for Michigan was quick, with Harbaugh getting a 10-3 record his first year, the excuses are now out the window.

First, it was him not having his guys on the field, as they were players recruited by former head coach Brady Hoke. Now, they’re all gone, and the entirety of the roster signed with Harbaugh at the helm. Of the newcomers that could play big factors this year, Harbaugh has safety Daxton Hill and running back Zach Charbonnet coming in. He was able to get quarterback Shea Patterson to transfer from Ole Miss before last season. He also was able to build up future NFL draft picks like cornerback Lavert Hill and linebacker Khaleke Hudson.

Urban Meyer and the powerhouse he brought to Ohio State posed a significant issue for Harbaugh & Co., and, regardless, still is a problem for the Wolverines. While Ohio State won’t fall apart like they did with Luke Fickell as their head coach, they are still taking a step back with Ryan Day. Day could still be a problem for the Big Ten, but he isn’t what Meyer was and his inexperience could bring problems to Columbus.

The final problem was how Harbaugh didn’t change up his coaching styles, playing football like it was the 1980’s when the game has evolved and changed. In a surprise move, he hired Josh Gattis as his offensive coordinator and gave him complete control of the offense for this season. The offense will see huge improvements from the passing game especially, as wide receivers Donovan-Peoples Jones, Nico Collins, and Tarik Black — who all could leave after the 2019 season if they can stay healthy and perform well — should excel in his #SpeedInSpace offense.

The major excuses are gone for Harbaugh. His players are at Michigan, he has changed his ways when it comes to coaching, and his biggest nemesis is decimated. That doesn’t mean the trophy will just be handed to him. There are still obstacles in the way, but right now they don’t seem nearly as high. Just take a quick look around the conference.

The Big Ten West race is wide open

Starting with the west, last season it was a close race with four teams duking it out until the last few weeks, when Northwestern was able to close the gap. The Wildcats will have a new quarterback, and losing Clayton Thorson will be a tough — though they brought in Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson — there is a chance they take a step back in 2019.

Wisconsin still has Jonathan Taylor at running back but lost quarterback Alex Hornibrook to transfer, as well as two of their starting offensive linemen and two linebackers. The Badgers could be underdogs to win the division for the first time in a while.

Iowa loses their two biggest weapons on offense in tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, but their defense is still tough and stout, so if the offense can rebound without both tight ends, they could be the biggest threat out West. Signal caller Nate Stanley returning should help ease some of that pain.

Purdue was a sneaky good team last season and with the chance to be the biggest threat to Iowa in the West. Rondale Moore should continue to amaze with his skills at wide receiver.

Minnesota will have to reload once again under head coach P.J. Fleck — they won’t likely be a threat out West.

Nebraska could be a dark horse in the West with a rough year one under head coach Scott Frost seeing marked progress as 2018 went on. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is in the discussion as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2019, given his performance in his first year. 2019 won’t likely be their year to contend just yet, but 2020 is when they should come out to play.

Finally, you have Illinois who is still working on their rebuild and won’t likely be a threat for a while, even with former NFL head coach Lovie Smith running the show. Though, they’ve gotten some nice pieces via transfer, such as Georgia tight end Luke Ford and Washington linebacker Camilo Eifler — both four-stars and high school All-Americans.

The Big Ten East race is Michigan’s to lose

Now flipping the tide to the east of the division, Michigan is in the driver’s seat, despite not being even in the title game last season.

Rutgers was a laughing stock last season going 1-11 and they could be looking for a new head coach if things don’t change fast.

Indiana had a great start last year at 4-1, before crashing to a 5-7 finish. It will still be a tiny thorn in Michigan’s side, but nobody to truly worry about.

Maryland could see a better fight with the off-the-field issues now done, and with transfer quarterback Josh Jackson and new head coach Mike Locksley, they could pose a threat sooner-than later.

Penn State will most likely take the biggest step back in the division, losing their starting quarterback and running back in Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders and backup quarterback Tommy Stevens transferring away. The defense could be its saving grace, but expect the Nittany Lions to take a step back.

Michigan State’s defense didn’t lose too much and while the offense lost LJ Scott at running back, he wasn’t even their best running back on the team a year ago. If quarterback Brian Lewerke and the offense can figure things out they can pose a significant problem.

Ohio State did lose some great talent on offense and defense, but they will reload once again like normal. The biggest difference is the head coaching change and the arrival of Justin Fields at quarterback. If Fields struggles, given the lack of proven depth behind him, things could turn sour for the Buckeyes in a hurry.

The time to win is now

Michigan will look like a different team in 2020, regardless of what happens in 2019. Similar things were said about the 2019 team after the 2018 season, but with the NFL Draft now over, some of the players rumored to leave have stayed and remained in Ann Arbor for one more season.

While Patterson — whose final year of eligibility is 2019 — has been fantastic for the Wolverines, the room still has Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton, and Cade McNamara all in the fold, and should be adding four-star JD Johnson to the mix.

The running back room shouldn’t have many changes besides Chris Evans leaving if he is able to return to the team this season.

The rest of the offense is where a problem arises. The depth at wide receiver is great behind the three starters from last year, but losing three solid contributors will be a blast to the offense. But if Michigan can recruit more bodies to help replace those losses, it could be minor in the end.

The offensive line is another issue where problems can come as there are three, possibly four of the starters will be gone, and the growing pains of a young offensive line will arise and be a weakness once again for the offense.

For the defense, a few players will be leaving, but it should improve with a good amount remaining with the team. Even with this positive, it gives all the other schools in the conference another year to build and pounce when Michigan could be taken down a peg.

This is the best year Harbaugh could ask for. Michigan will be home for Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Your biggest games all at home, what more do you want? The time of excuses is over. Winning the conference this year is in Harbaugh’s hands, he just has to go out there and do it.