Big Ten Week 6 Preview

Not the best week for the Big Ten in match-ups, we do get to see if Nebraska is for real.  Somehow Northwestern sneaks a non-conference game in.  

Friday Night:

Iowa @ Washington (-3):  Iowa got a wake up call last week against OSU that is taking some of steam off the Michigan win.  Washington is up and down but that is tough travel on a short week.  Washington 21 Iowa 20 

Saturday: 

IU (-7.5) @ Nebraska: Both teams are hot but neither really have played anyone, the win over Northwestern looks better now then it did a week ago. IU 28 Nebraska 17 

Ball State @ Northwestern (37.5): Should be an easy win for the Wildcats. NW 44 Ball State: 10 

UCLA @ Oregon (-11.5):  The Ducks really responded after their upset loss to OK State.  With Moore probably out with a concussion its Raiola time again with a new jersey.  I like the Ducks.  Oregon 31 UCLA 17

Illinois (-2.5) @ MSU:  Not a great start for either team this season.  Illinois 17 MSU 14 

Maryland @ OSU (-34.5): Yikes.  OSU 52 Maryland 9

USC @ Penn State (-1.5): Both teams coming off tough loses and need a win.  USC doesn't travel east well but is the better team: USC 28 PSU 23

Minnesota (-2.5) @ Purdue: Both teams coming off big wins and I think the Golden Gophers are set up for let down.  Purdue 20 Minnesota 17

UCLA also has a prove it game this weekend as Oregon tries to hold on to their CFP and Big Ten Championship lives. 

Wolverine Wednesday: It Better Be More Than This......

The Michigan fan base is hoping Coach Whitt and Coach Beck have a good plan for fixing Michigan's broken offense in the next two weeks.  We thought we had seen improvement against Iowa but that faded away fast as they couldn't do anything against a mediocre Golden Gophers team that hadn't beaten the Wolverines in their home stadium in 50 years.  Nice to have that fun fact on your record in Year 1 Coach Whitt. 

Maybe he is not letting us know the real plan but it better be more than this:  "Yeah, well, first of all, self-analysis. What do we do best? What is our, through five games, what's been our strength?" Whittingham said. "Where do we need to gravitate? What do we need to gravitate towards schematically? Personnel-wise, who have been our best players through those five games, and are we getting those best players on the field often enough, and enough reps?

"And, offensively, we got a long ways to go. I'm telling you right now, there's a lot of issues, and we gotta address them. It's just a situation of, again, figuring out what have we done well so far, what do we need to just cast off and not try to do anymore, try to put a square peg in a round hole, and find a way to manage the game offensively so we have a chance to win."

Coach Whitt repeats the phrase, "figuring out what we have done well".   That is the most elementary of approaches he could have spoken at this point.   Let me answer that question in one word: NOTHING.  

• Your not running the ball effectively, with two of the best RB's in the country 
• Your OL looks to be running a blocking scheme that is foreign to them and does not match their skill set. 
• Your offense does not seem to use the TE at all and you prefer the Rhino position which has been completely ineffective. 
• Your QB is a one read QB and missing wide open WR's. 
• You continue to struggle on 3rd and 4th and 1. 
• Your offense turns the ball over and can't stay of the field to give your good defense any rest. 

What have you been doing well?

• JJ has been a great addition at WR 
• Marsh has made some crazy good catches
• These good things are muted when you don't have protection or a QB that can get them the ball.  

So the "figuring out what we do well" on offense action item, took about 2 minutes, what now Coach?

I sure hope this "awe shucks" from Coach Whitt is an act and not his approach to fixing the offense.  

• Zach Marshall group texts after the Minnesota game hit the Internet and he sent out an apology yesterday.  To summarize his texts, Beck is a problem, told the TE's they are not a part of this offense, all a defense has to do is blitz to stop Michigan's offense, and that Beck just tells Bryce where to go on offense. 

Things are great in the locker room right now. 

Michigan Tuesday: Memories of the Recent Past

It's hard today to remind ourselves we have been extremely lucky and blessed the last 3-4 years.  Michigan fans have had 2 National Championship in its two top sports in a very short time span.  That type of shit doesn't happen around here very often.   It has been a blessed ride.  

The issue is, neither program is the same.  Both head coaches headed to the pro game as soon as they lifted the trophies.  So even though we loved the run and enjoyed the Championships, the aftermath had a bitter taste of Warde being asleep at the wheel.  

It's fair to say Michigan is not alone in this area, you see Cignetti jump to the Carolina Panthers and UConn's Dan Hurley quickly left for the Lakers.  Wait a second, that didn't happen and it seems Michigan is the only place coaches are looking to leave before they receive their Championship rings. 

So now we are left picking up the pieces of a broken Football Program, who's successor preferred Only Fans instead of Offense, while his peer on the defensive side of the ball is leading the Baltimore Ravens.  Great decision there Warde.   In comes CEO Kyle Whittingham to clean up the mess.   He won the off season and little else so far.  He is now faced with maybe the hardest decision of his career.  The top ranked QB in the history of Michigan High School athletics or Lloyd's grandson whose brother is a Heisman candidate for ND.  Kyle wake up, we have a problem! 

On a side note, I got to watch live maybe one of the worst teams in college football on Saturday night,  Texas Southern.  They are god awful, but their offense might be better then the Wolverines right now.  

Again, the only positive is Michigan has a good defense and two weeks to fix the problems on offense.  Changes have to be made, they have to.  

• Usually, TV networks fight over the Penn State @ Michigan.  Not this year! The game time is set for 3:30 and none of the networks have grabbed the game yet.   Hey CW, you want a Big Ten game?  The time slot suggests its CBS or BTN. 

• One of the surprises to make an NFL roster has been Braiden McGregor who has made the Jets for a few years.  Unfortunately, he has torn his peck muscle and is out for the year. 

Michigan Monday: Looks For Big Changes

The Michigan Football program has somehow gotten worse under a respected head coach.   Which is pretty much shocking to everyone that follows College Football.  I took some heat when Coach Whitt was hired because I pointed out that Utah had gently pushed him out.   He then impressed many of us with his staff, his portal additions, and his ability to keep most of the roster intact.   

This roster, this coaching staff, new discipline, and a new focus was going to lead to a successful season with a difficult schedule.  Maybe Michigan could sneak into the CFP?  Here is the problem, nothing on the offense side of the ball has worked.  Nothing.   Coach Beck a respected OC is running plays and an offense that seems foreign to everyone, even the players running it.  Michigan is losing their winnable games and guess what is going to happen when they play the big boys?

So now what?  I honestly don't know.  

Our 8 figure QB is completely broken and looks disinterested

The offensive line looks to be running blocking concepts that are new to them 

Our great RB's are getting hit at the LOS because every defensive box is overloaded 

Michigan's TE's are an afterthought 

Michigan's 2 really good WR's seem to be the only options in a terrible passing offense 

The positive is Michigan has two weeks to fix what is broken and they won't take a loss this weekend.  Michigan also has a solid defense that probably should take the week off after all the plays they ran on Saturday.  

Here is my concern:  Coach Whitt has come to Ann Arbor as a football CEO and not a hands on head football coach.  Him saying he is going to sit down with Coach Beck to figure out the unacceptable offense, seems like a meeting that's a month over due.  

Is there conflict between the donors and the new staff on Bryce? Because I see a backup QB with a legendary name and good QB mechanics sitting on the bench. 

Has Bryce mentally checked out? Is he overwhelmed?  Because he is not processing the field at all.  Many times he is making the wrong read on the option handoff to the RB's and missing wide open WR's/TE's.

Coach has a ton of explaining to do at his presser today.  But I'm not sure I will believe any of it, until I see it.  

• Etroit Lions

• Are there any good football teams in the State of Michigan right now?  Yes, there is.  1 - Ferris State defending National Champions are 5-0.