Michigan Football: The Big Ten season is on the horizon

Michigan football is 3-0 as it heads into Big Ten play. The Wolverines are off to a terrific start in 2021, but the real season is about to begin.

After a week one win against in-state foe Western Michigan and a throttling of Washington, Michigan football fans were not totally satisfied.

Fans were upset with the offensive strategy from the first two weeks, there was a lot of running, which was successful, but the passing game was nonexistent.

In week three against Northern Illinois, the Wolverines offense, while still running efficiently, opened up the passing game and quarterback Cade McNamara showed that he can execute the deep shots. Michigan routed NIU 63-10.

The defense has looked good all three weeks, stuffing the run and not allowing much through the air. New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald has been able to make adjustments from possession to possession which has been nice to see.

Big Ten play will bring new challenges for Michigan football

Now that the non-conference schedule is over with, Michigan will have to turn the page to better teams with more talent week in and week out, beginning with Rutgers.

Now I am not saying Rutgers is an all-star team, but I do believe they’re an improved team. Greg Schiano is a good coach and as we have seen so far this season, they’re playing. better.

The Big Ten season will also take the Wolverines on the road to Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Penn State. Not to mention hosting Ohio State at the end of the season.

Michigan football has the talent to do something special this season and I am all for Michigan fans being excited about what this team can do after watching the first three games, but this schedule is not easy.

Wisconsin and Ohio State pride themselves on being good defensively. Nebraska showed some fight against Oklahoma, even though I still think they’re very bad. Michigan State has run the ball very well so far this season which has allowed them to pass effectively.

Michigan is going to get tested, the Wolverines are going to face adversity, which is something this group hasn’t faced this season. So how will they react?

In the past, I feel that they try to play “perfect” in the “big games” that they make simple mistakes that end up costing them. So this season they need to find a way to overcome those mistakes.

The feeling in Ann Arbor is different this year, the message from the coaches and players is different than years passed. They know being 3-0 right now means nothing because they haven’t accomplished anything.

The hype is real for Michigan football, but it will get many chances with this schedule to continue to prove that fact.

As long as the Wolverines continue to play like they have something to prove, this team should keep Michigan fans satisfied.