Michigan Football: Week 3 rooting guide for the Wolverines

Michigan football takes on Northern Illinois this morning but here’s what else is going on around the Big Ten on Saturday and who you should root for. 

For many teams in the Big Ten, Michigan football included, this will be the final weekend of non-conference play this season.

The Wolverines will finish things off with Northern Illinois on Saturday and enter the game as a heavy favorite. But there are going to be plenty of other games worth watching in the Big Ten, although a number will be taking place at the same time as the Wolverines.

Here’s a look at what’s happening and who Michigan football fans should root for Saturday.

Early Games

Right away at 12 EST, there’s a slew of key matchups for the Big Ten. Nebraska will travel to Oklahoma, while Michigan State will take on Miami on the road and Cincinnati will face off against Indiana.

The Hoosiers are the only team at home and they desperately could use a win after flopping at Iowa in the season opener. The Bearcats are hoping to make a case as a College Football Playoff contender, which makes this a must-win.

As far as the Big Ten goes, an Indiana win would be better and would give Michigan a shot at a more impressive resume down the road.

The same goes for Nebraska who is on the schedule later. Hopefully, the Huskers don’t get blown out because that’s not a good look for the Big Ten.

Obviously, no Michigan football fan wants to root for the Spartans. So if Miami wins that will make Wolverine fans happy, but even if MSU pulls it out, that’s a solid win for the league.

Minnesota and Colorado are also squaring off in a Big Ten-Pac-12 battle. The Wolverines rolled Washington last week but Oregon beat Ohio State and in terms of conference strength, you’ll want Minnesota to win, just like a Purdue upset at Notre Dame would be solid.

Night game

Ohio State and Iowa both have fairly easy games against Tulsa and Kent State, which should be nothing to worry about.

The big game of the day takes place Saturday night between Auburn and Penn State. And while it’s not really fun to cheer for Penn State and James Franklin, it’d be better for the Big Ten.

Right now, Penn State is viewed as a top-three team in the Big Ten right now, and you certainly can’t say that about Auburn in the SEC, meaning it wouldn’t be a good look for the Tigers to come to Happy Valley and win on the road.

At least not for the Big Ten.

For Michigan football, winning is all that really matters. But if you care about the bigger picture, it’s a big day for the Big Ten.