What they're saying: Is Michigan a Big Ten title contender?

Michigan Wolverines football is heading into a showdown with Purdue Saturday evening in Ann Arbor. Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying before kickoff.

Brad Crawford, CBS Sports: Ohio State, Indiana and everyone else: Sifting through 2025 Big Ten Championship Game scenarios for contenders

Clearest path: Control what you can control. That’s got to be the message for Sherrone Moore with his team entering the final stretch. If the Wolverines take care of business against Purdue, Northwestern and Maryland, then the home finale against Ohio State could be for a spot in Indianapolis. They do not control their own destiny, however, even by winning out.

Chaos scenario: Grab a chair for this. Michigan needs to win its last four games — including a victory over the Buckeyes for the fifth straight year — and must get another loss by USC since the Trojans hold a head-to-head tiebreaker. Also, Oregon needs to lose to Minnesota or Washington, which aids the Wolverines in avoiding getting into — and losing — a three-team, one-loss tiebreaker situation.

Tiebreaker talk: Much of this changes if Indiana struggles in November with multiple losses and the entire conference title conversation is thrown for a loop, but that’s not happening. For the most part, Wolverines fans won’t sweat losing any sort of tiebreaker in getting to Indianapolis if it means beating Ohio State, finishing 10-2 overall and getting into the playoff.

Travis May, A to Z Sports: Former Michigan Wolverines star calls one Sherrone Moore decision coaching malpractice amid Bryce Underwood development

For those who may have forgotten, Devin Gardner was Michigan’s quarterback during a few of the Brady Hoke years. He still ranks third all-time for Michigan in passing yards and seventh in total touchdowns among all Wolverines players in the history of the program. His opinion of the team certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Gardner has clearly seen enough of the Semaj Morgan experience this season, and shared as much on his show “The Blue Print” this week. Semaj Morgan now has six drops on just 33 targets this season, and consistently looks completely lost. Morgan logged zero catches on two targets against Michigan State this week and got in running back Justice Haynes’ way on what could have been a long touchdown run.

Gardner believes this is not just hurting Michigan’s offense, but quarterback Bryce Underwood’s development too:

“Bryce [Underwood] didn’t take a huge leap forward, but he didn’t take a huge step back…The coaches feel committed to having [Semaj Morgan] on the field. There are going to be times throughout the rest of the season where Semaj does what Semaj has been doing. We’re not going to address it anymore…because at this point it’s coaching malpractice, right? He’s not putting himself out there. He’s made it clear that he’s not having the confidence – I don’t know what it is, the catching, whatever it is. The reason [we have to bring it up again] is because it’s kind of stunting the growth of Bryce Underwood.”

Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: Wojo’s Pigskin Picks: As coaching carousel cranks crazily, Spartans stew

For fans, the best part about the ever-expanding playoff is that one big loss (at Oklahoma) doesn’t kill your season. The second-best part is, another big loss (at USC) doesn’t kill your season. The worst part? Everybody else thinks they’re in the playoff picture, too. Reportedly, even James Madison! Michigan (6-2) must win its next three, then hope the Buckeyes come to Ann Arbor drunk and emotionally paralyzed again. But first, the Wolverines better take this game seriously, which means no one is allowed to tell them Purdue has lost 14 straight Big Ten games. Pick: Michigan, 30-6

Jordan Jones, Gold and Black: Matchup Preview: Purdue vs. Michigan

Now what? Purdue’s month of October looked manageable. Instead, the Boilermakers turned in a 0-4 month with two crushing defeats. Now, with three ranked opponents and a trip to Washington, Purdue projects as a three-score underdog in each of its remaining contests. The Boilermakers cleaned up the penalties and only turned the ball over once last week, but those classic line items didn’t make enough of a difference to flip the outcome in Purdue’s direction.

The challenge is real for Barry Odom and company, as they must keep the team motivated in a month that could feature some lopsided defeats. After a heartbreaking loss at Minnesota, Purdue did not respond well, falling 19-0 to Northwestern. Can Purdue respond positively after another victory slipped away?

On the other sideline, Michigan enters with a favorable slate ahead of its always-anticipated clash with Ohio State. The Wolverines will play the role of sizable favorites in each of their next three games ahead of the rivalry finale. But Michigan does enter this one after a rivalry victory, having defeated in-state rival Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday night. Will the Wolverines avoid a letdown spot?

It will likely take a win over the Buckeyes, but Moore’s team remains in the mix for a College Football Playoff birth. They enter at 6-2, and if chalk holds serve, they’ll take a 9-2 record as they look to down Ohio State for the fifth straight season. If Michigan lives up to the projections and pulls ahead in this game, do style points become an emphasis? Or, will the Wolverines look to speed up the game and get it over with?

Pete Fiutak, College Football News: Purdue vs Michigan Prediction, Preview, and Betting Lines

Run, rinse, repeat.

Michigan won’t do anything crazy here. It’ll lean on the running game that doesn’t always take over games, but it’ll rumble past 45 carries for just the third time this season.

Purdue’s offense will produce enough to make the Wolverines keep working, but over the long haul, the difference in line play will take over. Three Purdue turnovers will end any hope of pulling off the shocker.

Michigan 34, Purdue 16
Line: Michigan -21, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 3

Scotty White, Maize ‘N Brew: 3 bold predictions for Michigan Football vs. Purdue

Michigan will not allow Purdue to score
The Michigan defense has had some impressive performances this year, but every team has been able to score at least three points. This weekend, the Wolverines will pitch their first shutout of the season. Purdue is better offensively than defensively, but the team has faced its fair share of struggled on both sides of the ball in 2025 under first-year head coach Barry Odom. Michigan has put together a couple strong performances in a row defensively, and another big one is coming.