Michigan football fans might be able to enjoy this Saturday, since the Wolverines have a bye week.
That's a joke, but it's one that hits a little too close to home for Michigan football fans. Kyle Whittingham, the adult in the room, the guy who was supposed to get the Wolverines back to a championship level, has stumbled out of the blocks.
It's only been five games. It's too early to talk about firing Whittingham or giving up on the season, but Michigan is on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. At this point, the Wolverines need to win out.
However, with Michigan, talking about the playoffs should elicit the same reaction that Jim Mora gave for the Colts back in the day: "Playoffs!? We are just trying to win a game."
That's how I feel. Just win some games, starting with Penn State. The schedule is difficult. This team has shown its potential. The problem is that those moments have been too far and in between.
Yet, Michigan is probably two special teams gaffes away from being 5-0. A respectable season is still possible, and this year was always about trying to build for Bryce Underwood's third season.
So, with seven games to go, here are the three biggest questions facing the Wolverines coming out of the bye.
Can Jason Beck figure it out?
If Andrew Babalola gets into the lineup, Beck will have three five-star talents on the offense. That goes along with a blue-chip player at nearly every position. Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are NFL receivers. There are multiple offensive linemen, including Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera, who will be playing on Sundays.
With Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter, there is no reason Michigan's running game should be struggling like it is. The Wolverines need to get back to basics. Beck needs to keep things simple, at least until the team is more immersed in the system.
It's time to find a few things you can do well. It's time to find ways to build the confidence of your young quarterback. Underwood struggles under pressure. When he gets rattled, the train goes off the tracks.
Beck needs to be able to keep him on the tracks. He also should be able to take advantage of his immense talents. When Underwood is comfortable, he will make some incredible throws. If Michigan coaches can't find a way to make a productive offense with that, it feels more like their problem.
Will the offensive line ever get healthy?
The offensive line is getting blamed for the run-game issues. They do have to block better, but it feels like the coaches have them thinking more than playing.
Whatever it takes to change that needs to happen. Get back to basic runs. Get rid of the motions and the jet sweeps and just play old-school football. That might not be good enough to beat Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State, but it will be good enough to beat everyone else.
And at least you give yourself a chance. Once teams have to worry about the run game, it can open things up for Underwood, who needs to be active as a runner.
It would also be nice if the offensive line were healthy. Sprague has been out for weeks. Babalola, the highest-ranked OL recruit in program history, still hasn't played in a regular-season game. The next will be the 19th regular-season game since his career started.
Michigan hasn't found its best five. Maybe that's Babalola and Link as the guards with Blake Frazier and Sprague as the tackles. You can only control so much when it comes to injuries, but it feels like the health of the offensive line is one question Michigan needs answered in the affirmative.
Will this ever look like a Kyle Whittingham team?
If you have been watching college football for the past two decades, you know what a Whittingham team is supposed to look like. It plays good defense, which Michigan is doing. It's able to run the ball, and generally, it doesn't beat itself.
Michigan is doing only one of those three things. The Wolverines aren't creating explosive plays either, but that can be traced back in large part to the issues with the running game,
It's fair to point out that Whittingham hasn't had a quarterback drafted. He also wasn't landing five-star caliber players at the position at Utah. Underwood is a different level of talent, but Whittingham made his offense work with Cam Rising.
That's what I expected this team to look like. Instead, it looks like a less disciplined version of the 2024 Michigan football team. That has to change. Otherwise, this team is barrelling toward 6-6.
Whittingham might survive that. He also might not.
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