Michigan’s Must-Win Weekend

The University of Michigan football team has been playing football since just about anyone can remember.  They are one of the nation’s blue-blood programs that was known for their tough midwestern style of football; hard running and even harder hitting.  But over the last 12 or so seasons, Michigan has struggled to project that identity and to compete for conference and national championships.  Sure there were glimpses of brilliance when Brady Hoke took his first team to the Sugar Bowl and a victory over Virginia Tech, or Jim Harbaugh’s second season where the Wolverines played in the Orange Bowl in a thrilling loss to Florida State, but other than those occasions, the autumns in Ann Arbor have been bleak.

On Saturday night, in front of a prime time audience, Michigan will once again try to return to the table of college football contenders.  Michigan will  take on the No. 12 ranked Wisconsin Badgers in a night game at Michigan Stadium on ABC.  How important is this game for the Wolverines?  Both Michigan and Wisconsin come into this contest with a loss on their record (Michigan was beat in Week 1 by Notre Dame and the Badgers were defeated at home by BYU).  A loss by either team will eliminate them from contention in the College Football Playoff.

For Michigan, their reputation under coach Jim Harbaugh has been a keen ability to beat the lesser than teams with relative ease but struggle against ranked opponents and rivals.  Harbaugh is 1-5 against Michigan State and Ohio State.  In the last two years, Michigan is 3-6 against teams ranked in the Top-25 (with all three wins coming at home).  In 2017, Michigan was 0-4 against ranked teams. It can’t be enough for Michigan to just beat teams who struggle to make a bowl game.  Finishing this year 8-4 with losses against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State is not going to satisfy the students, alums, and fans who breathe in every snap and breathe out every completion.

Michigan is a little banged up, especially at a the defensive line.  But halfway through the season, you’d be hard pressed to find a program that isn’t dealing with some injuries and lost players.  This is a game that Michigan should win - but a loss will tell everyone a great deal more about the state of the program.