Michigan’s trip to Oregon in Week 11 looked like it might be one of the Big Ten’s showcase games when the season began. Instead, the start time and TV assignment tell a different story about where both programs are right now.
The Big Ten announced Monday that Michigan will face Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET, but the game will air on FS1 rather than landing in a premium CBS window. That means a matchup that once carried College Football Playoff buzz has been pushed into a lesser spotlight.
It’s a similar theme for Michigan’s immediate future before that trip west. The Wolverines return to Ann Arbor this weekend to play Michigan State in a night game, and fans will need Peacock to watch it. So not only is it another late kickoff in a rivalry game, it also won’t be on regular television.
Michigan State was expected to be a year or two away from winning consistently in the Big Ten, but the reality right now is a two-win team facing a Michigan squad that has been a major disappointment at 5-3 through eight games.
The Week 11 setup is especially striking because this was supposed to be a marquee meeting. After USC beat Ohio State, the Trojans and Indiana grabbed the CBS 3:30 p.m.
ET slot, while Big Noon Kickoff belongs to Northwestern at Ohio State. Oregon being on the West Coast made a noon Eastern kickoff unlikely, but the game still ended up outside the top broadcast window.
Both Michigan and Oregon enter Week 10 at 5-3. Michigan has only two Big Ten wins, while Oregon has three. In theory, either team could still run the table and make a case for the College Football Playoff, but the current shape of the schedule says plenty about how the season has gone.
Kyle Whittingham said Monday that the final four games are about something more modest for the Wolverines now.
"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 become bowl eligible with a win over Michigan State this weekend, then head to Eugene on a two-game winning streak.
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