There's no doubt that the Michigan football team got its season back on track with a win over Washington last week.
However, a loss to Michigan State would erase that "big win" over the Huskies. Any loss before Ohio State would essentially knock the Wolverines out of the College Football Playoff picture.
As it stands, they need to make up some ground in the rankings over the next four weeks. There aren't any overly impressive opponents, although Northwestern is 5-2. The goal is to just survive and advance to the next week.
Three of the next four games are on the road. With a freshman quarterback, navigating that won't be easy. It's hard to win in the Big Ten, especially away from home.
That journey starts this week with a road test against Michigan State. Here are the six biggest questions facing the Wolverines ahead of Michigan State.
Can Michigan football avoid the trap?
This the definition of a trap game. There isn't anything to look past this week, as in there isn't a game next week to worry about, but Michigan is fresh off its most impressive win of the season.
The Wolverines can't be overconfident. Michigan State has dropped three straight games. Aidan Childes has struggled and the defense has been atrocious.
But things don't have to make sense in rivalry games. Remember 2020? Michigan was a massive favorite, and also massively overrated, and lost the game.
Michigan is a young team. It also has some veteran leadership. They need to count on those guys this week because as long as the Wolverines have their heads on straight, they should win by multiple scores.