Michigan has reached the point in the season where every game feels like a referendum, and Saturday’s meeting with Rutgers offers the cleanest chance yet to reset things.
The Wolverines have lost three of their last four, and every one of those defeats came by seven points or fewer. That kind of stretch does a number on a team’s mood, and Ann Arbor is living through that right now. The problems are plain to see, and the fixes may look obvious from the outside, but they are not especially easy to pull off - at least not in a way that feels realistic.
That is what makes Rutgers such an interesting test. On paper, this is the kind of matchup Michigan needs badly.
It is the most favorable game left on the schedule, and the numbers back that up. SP+ has Rutgers’ defense at No. 124, while Michigan’s offense sits at No.
- The Scarlet Knights are 122nd in yards allowed per game, 127th in scoring defense, 128th against the run and 82nd against the pass.
In other words, this is the spot where the Wolverines should be able to breathe a little.
Whether it is Tommy Carr, Bryce Underwood or both, Michigan should have plenty of room to move the ball. The ground game, in particular, ought to be part of the answer. If the Wolverines cannot score against this defense, there is little reason to think they are suddenly going to turn into even an average offensive group this season.
That puts Jason Beck squarely under the microscope, and deservedly so. His playcalling has drawn plenty of criticism, and Kyle Whittingham still seems inclined to stick with him despite the repeated issues.
The scheme clearly is not doing the job, though some modest tweaks might still be enough to get through Rutgers. Whether that satisfies the fan base is another matter entirely.
Still, this is not just some throwaway game, even if it may feel that way from a distance.
There is a strong case that the Ohio State game is what everyone is really circling. Michigan is not headed for any meaningful postseason run, so a third straight win in Columbus - with the possibility of matching the absurdity of 2024 - is the one big prize left to chase. Emotionally, that is hard to top.
But the stretch before that matters too. A 7-5 season that includes a win over Ohio State would still land as a rough year, and that outcome is very much on the table if the Wolverines do not sort some things out. The next few months will say a lot about what comes next, from quarterback portal decisions to whether there is an opening at offensive coordinator, and maybe even at head coach.
Oregon’s struggles have only added to the sense that there are three winnable games still in front of Michigan. Banking those could change the feel of the season in a meaningful way.
The temptation to tune out is real. So is the risk of doing it.
In Other News...
Michigans Next AD Could Decide More Than Wolverines Fans Realize
Warde Manuels decision to step down at the end of December has put Michigan into the kind of search that tends to ripple well beyond the athletic department. The Wolverines are looking for a new athletic director at a time when the football program is already under pressure, and that means the hire will not just be about administration or fundraising. It could shape how the school approaches one of its biggest public-facing decisions in the months ahead.
Among the names circulating are Candice Story Lee of Vanderbilt, Katie Fraumann, who has ties to Michigan, and David Benedict of UConn. Each brings a different background, but the common thread is the same: this is a hire that may define the direction of the department as much as any move on the field. For Michigan fans, the real intrigue is not only who gets the job, but how quickly that person decides the Wolverines need a different path in football. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Still Has One Problem It Must Solve Before Rutgers
Michigan still has one major decision hanging over it before Rutgers, and it is the sort that can shape everything else on the field. Kyle Whittingham has not settled on a starting quarterback, with freshman Tommy Carr and sophomore Bryce Underwood both in the mix after uneven recent showings. Carr flashed some promise even while dealing with turnovers and sacks, while Underwood has struggled in his last two starts but still carries a leadership presence inside the program.
The next few days of practice will go a long way toward sorting it out, with the staff planning to use those reps to narrow the competition and make the call closer to game time. For Michigan, it is more than just a roster question. The Wolverines are trying to find the steadier option before a conference game that can help set the tone for the stretch ahead, and the answer at quarterback remains the biggest unresolved piece. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Run Game Faces Its Biggest Test Yet At Rutgers
Michigan is heading into a game at Rutgers needing its ground attack to do a lot of the heavy lifting. The Wolverines have leaned on the run game as the most reliable part of an offense that has struggled in several areas this season, and the matchup looks favorable on paper, with Rutgers sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten in run defense. Even with Michigan favored by 14.5 points, this has the feel of a game where the Wolverines need their identity to show up early rather than rely on another tight finish.
The broader concern is that Michigan has already spent much of the season playing closer games than expected and surviving on the margins more often than it would like. Against Rutgers, the path is fairly clear: establish the run, control the pace and avoid giving an underdog enough chances to hang around. If the Wolverines cannot do that against the conferences weakest run defense, it would say plenty about where this offense really stands heading into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]