The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527978
NOVEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 11 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Wolverines Will Drop Three More Games By Chris Balas In reality, Michigan is fortunate to be 4-2 at this point, having pulled off a late miracle to beat USC at home after a tough second half. Losing a winnable game at Washington was a downer heading into the bye week, and the Oct. 19 contest at Illinois looms large. The Fighting Illini had lost only one game heading into the Michigan showdown, and that's a tough place to play when they're winning. They think of the Wolverines as a rival in Champaign, and they're likely smelling chum in the water. One longtime program observer noted, "It's going to be tough for this team to win a road game." Between the Illinois contest and a Nov. 9 game at Indiana, one of the Big Ten's most improved teams, we expect the Wolverines to drop one. And while Michigan State has been struggling with turnovers, don't think for a second the Spartans won't come to play at U-M Oct. 26. Jonathan Smith is a good football coach. As for the other games — it's very logical to see losses versus Oregon Nov. 2 and at Ohio State Nov. 30, especially the latter. If the Wolverines get by Illinois and MSU, they'll have a lot to play for at home against the Ducks. If not, that one could be tough. And the Buckeyes have had three years of coping with losing to their hated rivals. They're one of the best teams in the country, and they'll be heavily favored to capture their first win in the series since 2019. There's hope now with Jack Tuttle at quarterback, but the schedule will probably be too much to overcome. Michigan Will Lose Twice More By Clayton Sayfie Michigan will lose two more games — to Oregon Nov. 2 and at Ohio State Nov. 30 — and finish with a disappointing 8-4 record, missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. The Maize and Blue don't look like a CFP team as of now, following a rocky first half of the season, but it could get back in the chase with a run in the second half, especially with graduate Jack Tuttle potentially providing some stability at the quarterback posi- tion. After being hurt most of the offseason and the first five weeks of the fall, Tuttle impressively looked cool, calm and collected in leading the team to three straight scoring drives for the first time all season. But it's hard to project that not only Tuttle will be that much of an X-factor but that the team will figure out the rest of its issues — pass defense, pass protec- tion, playmaking at wide receiver, etc. — to the point where it'll contend for the Big Ten or anything beyond a bowl game in the postseason. So, we won't. Oregon and Ohio State appear to be the top two teams in the Big Ten and will be favored heavily over Michigan. The Wolverines have other relatively tough contests at Illinois Oct. 19 and at Indiana Nov. 9, but we predict they take care of business in those. Where 8-4 heading into bowl season would leave Michigan, nobody knows. The non-CFP bowl games with Big Ten ties in 2024 are the Cheez-It, ReliaQuest, Duke's Mayo, Music City, Pinstripe, Guaranteed Rate and Quick Lane. None would be satisfactory for a fan base that saw its team take home the big trophy last season. ❱ POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT ❰ HOW WILL MICHIGAN FOOTBALL FINISH THE SEASON? 1969 MICHIGAN vs OHIO STATE GAME Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan ON DVD!! One of the greatest upsets in the history of college football – The defending National Champion and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes vs the 7-2 Michigan Wolverines under a new head coach! This was one of OSU coach Woody Hayes' finest teams. Ohio State had won 22 games in a row and had not lost a game at Ann Arbor in ten years! Some sportswriters were calling the Buckeyes the greatest college team of all time and had installed Ohio State as 17-point favorites –— at Michigan Stadium! But, by the end of the day, a sky-high Michigan team led by first year head coach Bo Schembechler, had totally outplayed Ohio State in front of an all-time NCAA record crowd of 103,588, had tied for the Big Ten Title and was heading to the Rose Bowl! The original network tapes have been digitally restored by Rare Sportsfilms for outstanding color and picture sharpness and now this historic classic is available for the first time on DVD! Bill Flemming and Lee Grosscup call the action! This entire TV broadcast, plus the pre-game show, includes all the original commercials and also features pre-game and halftime performances by both the Ohio State and University of Michigan Marching Bands! Pre-game interviews feature Jack Tatum of Ohio State and Jim Mandich of Michigan, as well as Buckeye coach Woody Hayes! Players in action you will see throughout the game include quarterback Don Moorhead, Billy Taylor, Marty Huff, Thom Darden, Dan Dierdorf, Glenn Doughty, Garvie Craw and Barry Pierson of Michigan. For Ohio State you'll see quarterback Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Mike Sensibaugh, Leo Hayden, Jan White, Jim Stillwagon, Larry Zelina, Stan White and many others! This game marked the beginning of the famous "Woody vs Bo Ten-Year War", and is one of the most significant games in the history of Michigan-Ohio State football! Running Time: 3 Hours, 20 Minutes $29.95 FREE SHIPPING! "RARE SPORTSFILMS W" 1126 Tennyson Lane, Naperville, IL 60540 1-630-527-8890 7-5 8 - 4