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.
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