Michigan’s trip to Oregon in Week 11 looked like the kind of game that could shape the College Football Playoff picture when the season began. Instead, the Big Ten’s latest kickoff assignment says plenty about where both programs stand right now.
The league announced Monday that Michigan will face Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET, but the matchup will air on FS1 rather than landing in a bigger national window. That’s a long way from the marquee treatment this game seemed destined for before the season went sideways for both teams.
It also comes after Michigan’s immediate task at home against Michigan State, another night game that won’t be on regular television. Fans will need Peacock to watch that one, adding another layer to a matchup that already feels far from ideal based on what has happened on the field so far.
Michigan enters the stretch at 5-3, with just two Big Ten wins. Oregon is also 5-3, though the Ducks have three conference victories. In theory, both teams could still finish strong and work their way into the CFP conversation, but the path is obviously much thinner now than it looked in August.
The Week 11 slot reflects that reality. CBS had the 3:30 p.m.
ET showcase tied up after USC’s win over Ohio State pushed the Trojans and Indiana into that window, while Big Noon Kickoff belongs to Northwestern at Ohio State. A noon kickoff for Michigan and Oregon was never really in play anyway, given Oregon’s West Coast location.
Kyle Whittingham addressed what remains for Michigan over its final four games, and he didn’t dress it up.
"Not as meaningful as we would like them to be," Whittingham said on Monday. "Every game is meaningful, obviously, but it would take really weird circumstances to get back in the conference race. I don't think that's - still playing for bowl eligibility and trying to get to a bowl game.
"And just winning, just the competitive nature of football. That's always going to be a reason to prepare the right way and go out and play as hard as you can.
But I would say, no, we would have liked to have been in a different position right now. We're really only one game, probably, away from still being in the conversation.
That's a sure way to put it."
Michigan can lock up bowl eligibility with a win over Michigan State this weekend, then head to Eugene on a two-game winning streak.
In Other News...
Michigan State's Opener Revealed A New Look That Could Matter Fast
Tom Izzo wasted little time tinkering with Michigan States opening-night look, and the changes were hard to miss against Quinnipiac. Coen Carr slid into the power forward spot, Jasiah Jervis got the start at shooting guard, and transfer Anton Bonke was in the first five as well, giving the Spartans a different blend than they showed in the exhibition games. It was the kind of early-season adjustment Izzo often makes when he thinks a lineup can be sharpened quickly, and this one had immediate consequences on both ends of the floor.
Carr responded with a lively all-around effort, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal in 25 minutes, while Bonke made his presence felt inside with 13 rebounds and 11 points in 19 minutes. For Michigan State, the bigger question now is whether this was simply an opener experiment or the start of a more permanent reshuffling, because the Spartans already have evidence that the new alignment can change the teams balance in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Opener Raised An Early Rotation Debate Fans Will Notice
Michigan State opened its season with a look that immediately gave fans something to track beyond the final score. Jesse McCulloch was unavailable because of a head injury, but he was still on the bench, and Tom Izzo answered by rolling out a small-ball starting group of Jeremy Fears, Jasiah Jervis, Jordan Scott, Coen Carr and Anton Bonke. It was a lineup built for speed and versatility, and it signaled that the Spartans are willing to mix things up early as they sort through the frontcourt.
The first half offered a glimpse of why the approach was worth watching, with Fears and Medlock providing key scoring support while Bonke made his presence felt on the glass. Even without McCulloch on the floor, Michigan State found enough balance to take a halftime lead, which only sharpens the conversation about how Izzo wants to use his pieces once the roster is whole again. For a team with real depth questions to answer, the opener already hinted at a rotation debate that could linger. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Just Showed Why Izzo Has A New Early Decision
Michigan State opened the regular season in the kind of lopsided fashion that usually tells you a lot about a team before the schedule gets any harder, rolling past Quinnipiac 96-59 at the Breslin Center. The Spartans looked deep from the start, with Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr and freshman Carlos Medlock all turning in strong showings as Tom Izzos group controlled the game in transition, on the glass and around the basket.
The broader takeaway was less about the final margin than the way Michigan State piled up advantages in the areas that tend to travel once Big Ten play arrives. Fastbreak points, rebounding and post scoring all tilted heavily in the Spartans favor, giving Izzo an early look at a roster that already appears to have multiple ways to beat teams. For a program trying to establish its identity right away, this was the kind of opener that can shape the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]