This could be a breakout year for the offensive line in the Rich Rodriguez era. Yeah, seriously.

Ok, so they took a lot of flak last season — for good reason, don’t get me wrong — but the unit really made strides as the year progressed. Like every position unit, they struggled to pick up Rodriguez’s offense, but they seemed to understand it more and more. The ultimate results may have been no different, but down in the trenches, the scales were slowly starting to tip Michigan’s way.

Now, it’s 2009. All of a sudden, the offensive line goes from a rag-tag group of relative nobodies to an experienced front of blockers that have a ton of starts under their collective belt. Still, the line isn’t going to look anything like what Michigan put on the field last season.

First all, Steve Schilling is moving inside, to guard, which should play to his strengths. He’s a good run blocker and his ability to get second level and downfield is great. I, along with most college football pundits, would like to see him stay there, especially after he had a great spring in the interior.

But it all rests on the tackle spot. If Michigan can’t find a competent replacement, he’ll have to move back out. Fifth-year senior Mark Ortmann appears to have the left tackle spot on lock down. He’ll have to be quicker with his feet and an overall better pass-blocker, since the left tackle is protecting the quarterback’s blind spot.

The coaching staff appears to believe that another year of working and conditioning with the team has helped Ortmann become the player he’ll need to be. Like most of the line, he got better as the year went on, and should be capable of handling the starting job.

But the right tackle spot is more of a question mark. It’s a three-way battle between redshirt sophomore Mark Huyge, redshirt freshman Patrick Omomeh and redshirt junior Perry Dorrestein.

Your guess is as good as mine which one will start in the fall — if any. There’s still a chance that the coaching staff chooses to bench all three and move Schilling back to tackle.

That being said, Omameh had great spring and could take the job away from Huyge, but the right tackle position is anything but solid going into fall camp. It’s anyone’s job to win — or lose — through August. This is definitely a position to pay attention to before the season starts, because the rest of the lineup rests on what happens here.

If Schilling gets moved back outside, the left guard nod will most likely go to redshirt freshman Ricky Barnum, one of Rodriguez’s first-recruiting-class gems.

At the other guard, David Mooseman has things locked up. He was one of Michigan’s most consistent offensive contributors by year’s end, and he should only be better this season.

And David Molk should be adequate at center, although pretty undersized. Maybe another year with Barwis can change that?

Projected starters Ortmann, Schilling, Molk, Mooseman, Huyge