Saturday is not about Oregon.
The Michigan Wolverines are a 5-3 football team coming off the most important win of the season. The maize and blue can sleep soundly knowing that the worst football team Michigan has fielded in at least a decade is somehow still a better football team than whatever they’re doing in East Lansing. This brings much joy and peace to what’s been a tumultuous season to this point.
It isn’t getting better, either. The final month of the season sees Michigan play #1 Oregon, #4 Ohio State, and #13 Indiana (with the latter two on the road). Also, Northwestern. The schedule was a murderer’s row before the season started, then added Indiana to the mix and took all of Michigan’s body armor. Not great, Bob!
But whatever. Saturday’s not about Oregon.
Yes, the Ducks will be there in the iciest white uniforms on the planet. (I do not care if you think Oregon has too many uniform combinations. You’re just old and boring.) The vaunted offense led by the nation’s best quarterback in Dillon Gabriel will likely be firing on all cylinders. Balance that with a solid defense and the team I thought would win a national championship has all the pieces to do just that.
On the Michigan side, the Wolverines will start Davis Warren 2.0 which is a far more efficient update from the original Davis Warren. A solid outing against Michigan State, alongside a sprinkling of well-timed Alex Orji sightings, and there’s at least a glimmer of hope that the offense could string some stuff together. Defensively, the Michigan pass rush will be challenged with the monumental task of containing and disrupting Gabriel. Doing so would give Michigan a puncher’s chance. Even so, the fundamental issues of missed tackling and third-and-forever conversions raise significant questions about Michigan’s ability to put together a complete game and shock the college football world.
But Saturday’s not about Oregon.
Saturday is about Ohio State.
I don’t mean whether or not they survive in Happy Valley with whatever hodgepodge offensive line they’ve strung together with pipe cleaners and hot glue. Saturday is about Ohio State because the way Michigan hangs with Oregon – or not – is a litmus test for the end of November.
Michigan has had an underwhelming season for a myriad of reasons – from talent loss to coaching to execution. But the beauty of The Game is that you always have something to play for. Those who don’t understand the rivalry wonder if a down year for one team somehow lessens the importance. Impossible. The bar for The Game is always set as “utmost importance.” Are there levels? Certainly. A Top 5 matchup as we’ve been blessed with multiple times in recent memory raises the bar. But the bar is never lower than “utmost importance.” The Game is The Game is The Game and it always will be.
That’s why Saturday isn’t about Oregon. It’s a test for whether a thus-far floundering Michigan team could put together a stunner in Columbus. Can that All-American defensive line create havoc for a top-tier offense? If so, a susceptible offensive line waits for you in four weeks. Can a secondary – with or without Will Johnson – bend but not break when tested? If so, a healthy Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill combination might find success. Can a heretofore sputtering offense find a sense of identity late in the season and move the ball against a solid defensive core? If so, perhaps a classic SMASH-edition of The Game is in store.
A shocking win over Oregon isn’t happening. It doesn’t have to.
It’s about the QB pressures. The turnovers. The sustained drives.
The gritty fight that it takes to compete in late November.
Showcase that and I can live with the results.
Saturday’s not about Oregon anyway.
OREGON 34
MICHIGAN 20
