Michigan football: A look at the Wolverines’ tough road to the top of the Big Ten

For the first time in college football history, a conference has 5 teams ranked inside the Associated Press Top 10 — and that’s the Big Ten, which has four of the top 10 coming from its East Division: No. 6 Ohio State (5-1), No. 7 Penn State (5-1), No. 8 Michigan (6-0) and No. 10 Michigan State (6-0). At No. 2, Iowa (6-0) is the only ranked team from the West Division.

Any of these teams could capture the Big Ten title this season. They’ve all proven themselves to be formidable squads.

They’re among the hottest teams in the nation, and most of them will get to face one another this season.

For right now, let’s focus on Michigan, which has a bye week before hosting Northwestern on Oct. 23 in Ann Arbor.

Winners of 6 straight for the first time since 2016, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines are fresh off a gutsy 32-29 road win at Nebraska — a reality check that they needed as they forge into the thick of their B1G schedule.

Everyone in the Big Ten East will have a tough schedule, so it’s difficult to say whose will be the most challenging. The Wolverines face 3 of the league’s top 5 teams before it’s all said and done, and they’ll have a pair of those tests on the road vs. the Spartans and Nittany Lions.

There will be time to discuss and analyze Oct. 23 vs. Northwestern, Nov. 6 vs. Indiana and Nov. 20 at Maryland. But the following 3 games — of the remaining 6 — are absolutely worthy of an early look. The following will shape the Big Ten and be an ongoing storyline until the season’s conclusion.

Oct. 30 at Michigan State

Last year, nobody expected the Spartans to beat the Wolverines. In fact, it was supposed to be a catastrophic blowout. Mel Tucker, in his first year at MSU, wasn’t supposed to outwit UM coach Jim Harbaugh — at least, not on the first attempt.

Michigan State just posted a 31-13 win over Rutgers, a team that gave plenty of trouble to Michigan, which ultimately won 20-13.

This week, the Spartans found themselves in the AP Top 10 for the first time since Week 4 of 2016, so it’s safe to assume that they’re going to want to stay put and keep pushing toward bigger goals — like winning the Big Ten. No MSU coach has won the Big Ten in his second season in charge.

Not Mark Dantonio. Not Nick Saban. Not even Duffy Daugherty, who needed a just more than a decade — 11 years — before rising to the top of the conference ranks.

It’ll be the biggest game of Tucker’s coaching career and the most important UM-MSU brawl in recent memory. It’ll also be one of the most important games in program history … that is, if MSU keeps winning up until the end of the month.

MSU faces Indiana this weekend, so more will be known about the potential outcome of its season after Saturday. MSU has won 6 of the past 10 against the Wolverines, but UM is closing that gap, winning 3 of the past 5.

Michigan hasn’t lost 2 straight to the Spartans since dropping 3 from 2013-2015.

Nov. 13 at Penn State

Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, PSU owns a 10-14 record vs. Michigan. The Nittany Lions have won 3 of the past 5 matchups, including a  27-17 victory in 2020 in Ann Arbor. The year prior, PSU won 28-21 at home.

Could the Nittany Lions make it 3 in a row for the first time since their winning streak from 2008-2013? They just lost at No. 2 Iowa, but still remain one of the strongest teams in the league, relying heavily on the play of star QB Sean Clifford.

Assuming that Michigan beats Michigan State, the Penn State game could ultimately decide the Big Ten. Keep in mind that OSU and PSU square off Oct. 30, so depending on the results … yeah, this one could be the game of the year in all of college football, based on how MSU, PSU and OSU perform the rest of the way, of course.

The same could be said for any of the matchups, though. They’re all going to be critical.

Since James Franklin’s arrival in 2014, Penn State has won 9 or more games 4 times, including a trio of 11-win seasons. Again, the same rules apply to this game as they do for the MSU game: Depending on results, each one of these could end up being the marquee game in the Big Ten this season, if not in all of college football.

Nov. 27 vs. Ohio State

Imagine the Buckeyes and Wolverines heading into the final weekend of the season with unblemished B1G records. Kind of like that 2006 meeting, the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game that OSU won 42-39; it was one of the greatest college football games of this century.

We all know about OSU’s dominance, losing only thrice since 2000 and basically beating the hell out of Michigan the past 2 years.

Seeing 2 heavyweights of the NCAA ranks in a key late-season game would be a ratings dream for TV executives, and it’d also capture the attention of the entire college football fanbase — not just the Big Ten or UM/OSU supporters.

This could be a game that goes down in history as a classic of the bitter rivalry.

There will be more analysis to come down the road. Right now, it’s basically just about setting the table and seeing which teams will do what as the Big Ten prepares for an epic collision among heavyweight contenders.

Adam Biggers

Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.