The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/111015
Showdowns To Come The Big Ten race boiled down to five teams in the grind from mid-January to mid-February. That handful ��� Indiana (11-2), Michigan State (11-2), Michigan (9-4), Wisconsin (9-4) and Ohio State (8-5) ��� squeezed into a fist, ready to punch their way through the home stretch. The Feb. 19 Indiana at Michigan State showdown determined, for the time being, the top dog in the conference as the chances dwindled down. While the Wolverines lost the opportunity to control their destiny through a brutal slate of Big Ten road games, a strong finish and some help could produce the same result as last year ��� a conference title. The Wolverines probably cannot afford even one more loss, in a schedule that finishes as follows: Illinois, at Penn State, Michigan State, at Purdue, Indiana. Here���s a look at the other contenders, and how they finish up: Indiana ��� At Michigan State, at Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio State, at Point guard Aaron Craft (far right) leads the way for an Ohio State team that does not have Michigan. Michigan State ��� Indiana, at any margin for error if it wants to stay in the Ohio State, at Michigan, Wisconsin, Big Ten race. Photo by Lon Horwedel Northwestern. Wisconsin ��� At Northwestern, Nebraska, Purdue, at Michigan State, at Penn State. Ohio State ��� Minnesota, Michigan State, at Northwestern, at Indiana, Illinois. The teams at the top certainly face the toughest go of it, schedule-wise. Whether the Hoosiers and the Spartans will both drop at least two more games ��� bringing Michigan and Wisconsin back into the picture ��� remains tough to forecast. The Wolverines��� task is simple. Win every game, and hope for the final-Sunday showdown with Indiana at Crisler Center. After a couple of crushingly narrow defeats, it���s their best hope. ��� John Borton