What they're saying about Michigan football before taking on Oregon

Michigan Wolverines football will take on No. 1 Oregon Saturday afternoon at The Big House. Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying ahead of kickoff.

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Bill Connelly, ESPN.com: College football Week 10 preview: Ohio State-Penn State gets November off to hot start

Michigan rallied to beat Michigan State last week, and while the Wolverines’ 5-3 record is terrible for a defending national champ, it’s decent considering the team’s defensive injuries (star corner Will Johnson is questionable) and total lack of a passing game (130th in yards per dropback).

Oregon ranks just 58th in rushing success rate allowed, and Michigan will try to define the game with ball control and physicality. Of course, there’s no Plan B. Oregon ranks sixth in offensive success rate, combining a “ball never hits the ground” passing game with a super-efficient run game. And I mean super efficient: Among RBs with at least 120 carries, Jordan James has by far the best success rate in the country.

Oregon stars tight end Terrance Ferguson and defensive end Jordan Burch are getting healthier, and the Ducks have been dynamite on the road. They will likely get Michigan’s best swing of the season; we’ll see how much it connects.

Current line: Oregon -14.5 | SP+ projection: Oregon by 12.5 | FPI projection: Oregon by 11.3

Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg, ESPN.com: Six college football teams that started ranked and now need a do-over

Michigan ranks last among Power 4 teams and 130th nationally in passing offense. The Wolverines are the only P4 team that has yet to produce 225 passing yards in any game this season. Their QBs have completed just 12 passes of 20-plus yards, and their wide receivers have combined for a mere 404 receiving yards.

“That’s insane,” a Big Ten defensive coordinator said of Michigan’s decision not to take a portal quarterback. “If I’m [opposing] teams, I’m loading up in the box and not letting them run the ball and make them throw.”

Michigan’s belief in a group with limited game experience cost an offense already replacing seven NFL draft picks, including wide receivers Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson. The Wolverines added just two transfers in December and used the spring portal mostly to shore up their defensive backfield.

Although Michigan hasn’t been a volume portal program, its hit rate is strong, and an experienced quarterback could have helped balance out the offensive approach early on.

Bruce Feldman, The Athletic: Michigan’s QB decisions, anxiety for Ryan Day and other things on Bruce Feldman’s radar

The reasoning behind Michigan’s QB decision
Michigan went back to [senior] Davis Warren at quarterback. One Big Ten defensive coordinator I spoke to thinks Warren is the Wolverines’ best option. The former walk-on throws best of the quarterbacks and is much more accurate than [junior] Alex Orji, I’m told.

He added, “I think it’s just really hard for them to win Power 4 games when you just can’t really throw the ball, and the other team knows it.”

Michigan is also limited at wideout but did a good job against Michigan State of throwing the ball to its best weapon, [junior] tight end Colston Loveland, on first and second downs, when teams are worried about stopping the run and can’t double the speedy tight end.

Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press: Michigan-Michigan State fight should be reminder: Unbridled vitriol is not the answer

[MSU athletic director Alan] Haller deserves credit for his approach. He well remembers [former Michigan head coach] Jim Harbaugh’s bombastic sermonizing after the tunnel incident two years ago, and the effect that had on the rivalry.  

No one in a position of power with either program tried to over sensationalize what happened this time. Perhaps that is a small and hopeful sign.  

[Michigan head coach Sherrone] Moore said it would never happen again. And while [MSU head coach Jonathan] Smith said he and his staff would never forget Saturday night, he was mostly talking about the intensity of the game on the field. 

He is new to it. Now he knows. 

In the future, let’s hope that’s where it stays. And if it strays, and emotion gets the better of a few players again, there should be consequences as long as there is clear evidence.  

Yet even then, the mistakes of a few shouldn’t give license for unbridled vitriol toward everyone else. We’re of the same place, and share the same space, and at some point, that’s got to count for something again. 

Stewart Mandel, The Athletic: Week 10’s top 10 college football games: Ohio State-Penn State headlines top-heavy Saturday

The Ducks have come a long way since their last trip to the Big House in 2007, which Austin Meek commemorated this week. Even against the defending national champs, Oregon is the Big Ten heavyweight this time, angling to remain atop the AP Top 25 poll ahead of the initial batch of CFP rankings next week. Michigan hasn’t been this big of a home underdog since playing top-ranked Ohio State in 2013 — a game the Wolverines lost by one — but it’s also a bit surprising the spread is this close considering how dreadful Michigan’s offense has been and how dominant Oregon has looked. Another win Saturday would mark the third time in program history the Ducks have started 9-0.

Line: Oregon -14.5

Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: Wojo’s Pigskin Picks: Wolverines, Spartans should be wary of a real stomping now

Nearly a week since Michigan and Michigan State concluded their annual slapfest with an actual slapfest on the field, the debate rages. Some observers claim they can spot, in several grainy clips, a folding chair smashed over a player’s head. Also, a lamp. Other images, much clearer, show the Wolverines violently lifting and brandishing a four-foot wooden statue of a bearded lumberjack with an obscenely placed ax.

I’ve painstakingly dissected all the video and I honestly can’t tell if there was a bigfoot stomping or a Bigfoot sighting. Replay gurus Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino reviewed it, and after a 14-minute delay, determined no one completed the process of a stomp. The Big Ten investigated and concluded the only suitable punishment was to suspend Jim Harbaugh for three more games.

This has many Spartans frothing, more than usual, because the response was much different two years ago when they were punished for swinging helmets at UM players, which was captured on actual video. In this incident, the Wolverines were guilty of butting heads — similar to head-butting — and hurling trite rivalry insults.

Max Torres, Scoop Duck: The 3-2-1: All Eyes on Top-Ranked Ducks

ONE PREDICTION: Oregon holds Michigan under 100 rushing yards
This is a pretty bold prediction, but I continue to be very impressed by this Oregon defense. So I’m putting my chips on the Ducks.

They’ve already held three of their opponents under the century mark this year, bottling up Idaho (49), UCLA (47) and Michigan State (59) on the ground. They did so against UCLA and Michigan State in back-to-back weeks.

Texas (80) is the only team to hold Michigan under 100 rushing yards and the Longhorns did that in Ann Arbor in Week 2. Now the Wolverines are coming off two mediocre rushing performances against Illinois (114) and Michigan State (119). Oregon has more talent and probably better coaches than both of those teams so I think the Ducks can get it done.

John Talty, CBS Sports: Michigan vs. Oregon prediction, pick, football game odds, spread, live stream, where to watch, TV channel

Oregon is rolling while Michigan is scuffling. The Ducks can put up big points and the Wolverines can’t. There are plenty more reasons to pick Oregon over Michigan, and this isn’t an argument to dissuade that pick. But it will be the Ducks’ toughest remaining test of the regular season and could be closer than anticipated, especially if Michigan’s defensive line can take advantage of an Oregon offensive line that is improved recently but still has its issues. I like Oregon to win outright, but think Michigan could backdoor a cover.
Pick: Michigan +14.5

Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports: The Six Pack: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Oregon vs. Michigan among top Week 10 college football picks

Lock of the week
No. 1 Oregon at Michigan: I wrote earlier this week about how ruthless Oregon has been since the Ohio State win, and I don’t expect anything different against Michigan. Yes, Oregon has to travel to the Big House for this one, but we can’t pretend the 2024 version of Michigan is anything like the variety we’ve seen in recent seasons. The offense has been abysmal for most of the year, and while the defense is good, it’s not at the same championship level Wolverines fans have become accustomed to. We’ve seen teams with good quarterbacks and receivers expose the Michigan secondary, and here comes Dillon Gabriel and company.

Maybe Michigan muddies things up and keeps it close for a while, but unless Oregon gets loose with the football and turns it over multiple times, I can’t envision a scenario where the Wolverines are able to hang for a full 60 minutes. Keep in mind, Michigan was only able to score seven points against the Illinois team Oregon could’ve hung 50 on if it chose to keep its foot on the gas in the second half last week. I won’t be surprised if Oregon goes into Ann Arbor and beats the Wolverines by more than Texas did. The Pick: Oregon -14.5 (-115)