Michigan Football: Previewing Wolverines against Penn State
This Saturday, Michigan football will try to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive as the Wolverines travel to Happy Valley to take on the Nittany Lions.
This Saturday, No. 6 Michigan football (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) will travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) in what should be a classic Big Ten showdown.
The Wolverines, who will be coming off of a convincing 29-7 win over Indiana and could be missing a few starters, are still seemingly in control of their own destiny as far as the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff are concerned, following Michigan State’s loss to Purdue.
Meanwhile, James Franklin and his Nittany Lions are still searching for signs of life in what has turned into a disappointing season after being ranked in the top-5 only a few weeks ago.
Even after a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans, Michigan football still has hope to make it to the Big Ten championship game and even earn a college football playoff birth if the Wolverines can manage to win out.
The first real test in this new saga of Michigan’s season is Penn State.
Michigan football has lost to Penn State two years in a row now and has failed to beat them in Beaver Stadium since Jim Harbaugh’s first season as head coach in 2015. Though the sixth-ranked Wolverines seem to have more momentum than the Nittany Lions heading into the game, Penn State is still a formidable and extremely talented opponent.
Another loss could spark disaster for Michigan’s 2021 campaign and virtually eliminate them from contention for both a Big Ten title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, both feats that the Wolverines have failed to achieve under seventh-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.
A Michigan win would likely mean that the Wolverines will be heading into the Ohio State game with a 10-1 record, and more importantly, a trip to Indianapolis on the line.
Here’s a look at the offense against Penn State.