Michigan football has every goal in front of it this season, still, even after a 7-2 start. The Wolverines don't have a marquee win, but if they win the next two games and beat Ohio State, the rest should take care of itself.
That quest starts Saturday against Northwestern. Michigan and Northwestern will play at Wrigley Field on Fox. That alone makes this game interesting. Yet, the Wildcats have plenty at stake, too.
Northwestern is 5-4 on the season. Clinching a bowl game would be huge. Beating Michigan to do it would be even better. A top-25 win for Northwestern is a rarity. Even as a 12.5-point favorite, this isn't a team Michigan can take lightly.
Looking ahead to Saturday's game, here are five questions facing the Wolverines.
Can Bryce Underwood play well on the road?
There's been a big difference between Bryce Underwood at home and Underwood on the road. At home, the freshman is completing 67.7 percent of his passes wth five touchdowns and two interceptions.
On the road, Bryce is completing 50.7 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and one interception. He might not need to have huge numbers to beat Northwestern.
However, it would help if he completed better than 50 percent of his passes. Underwood is throwing for just 135 yards per game on the road. We saw against Michigan State that the Wolverines didn't feel super comfortable throwing the ball.
Michigan has run the ball well. It should be able to do that against Northwestern, but if the Wolverines are going to win and cover the spread, they need a good game from Bryce Underwood.
Can the run game keep dominating?
Northwestern is a well-coached team, but they have had a tough time standing up against the run. The Wildcats allow 142 yards per game on he ground this season, allowing an average of 4.6 yards per attempt.
Northwestern has been good at limiting opposing passers. They are giving up just 181 yards per game. Their defense averages one interception per game compared to just 1.2 touchdown passes allowed.
In short, this is another game where the running game will be vitally important. It's always important, true freshman quarterback or not. If Michigan is able to run the ball like it did against Michigan State (276 yards) and Purdue (250 yards) then it will win the game.
But if Northwestern can make Michigan one-dimensional, which is tough to do with the way Jordan Marshall and the offensive line are playing, the Wildcats could have a shot. They need to make Bryce Underwood beat them.
Will Michigan's run defense hold up?
The run defense has fallen off somewhat this season. It's not a huge shock after losing two first-round draft picks at defensive tackle to the NFL.
Yet, it's still been surprising to see Oklahoma, USC, Michigan State, and Purdue each rush for over 100 yards against Michigan. Purdue took advantage of some injuries at linebacker.
Sherrone Moore said that Cole Sullivan will be back this week. Keep your fingers crossed for Jimmy Rolder even more. This is his kind of game. Northwestern runs for 189 yards per game.
They run it 36 times per game compared to 27 pass attempts. Preston Stone, the Northwestern quarterback, leads in the Big Ten in interceptions with nine, although he has 11 TD passes and averages 169 yards per game.
Caleb Komolafe is the real deal, though. He ran for 118 yards on 17 carries against USC last week, as well as getting 125 in 17 attempts at Nebraska. He's averaging 5.1 yards per attempt this season with 726 rushing yards.
If Northwestern is going to have any chance at an upset, Komolafe needs to have a big day, which is very possible if the Wolverines are still banged up at linebacker.
Will we see November Michigan?
The Wolverines have played some of their best football in November in recent years, which includes last year's 13-10 win over Ohio State.
The 3-0 stretch to close the 2024 season started with a dominating win over Northwestern, fresh off the bye week. U-M got confidence and momentum from that win, in Ann Arbor.
Will there be a similar showing on Saturday? It would be easier to be confident in Michigan football's prospects moving forward if they won in convincing fashion on Saturday at Wrigley.
Will the special teams be improved?
The kicking game has hurt Michigan all season. Whether it has been poor field position, missed field goals, or even turnovers, the special teams have to be better if the Wolverines are going to reach the College Football Playoff.
The Purdue game was one of the worst. At least one punt was blocked. Semaj Morgan made some bad decisions on punt returns; it feels like a turning point. Things need to get better over the next three weeks, or this program needs a new special teams coordinator.
It's clear that Semaj Morgan isn't a punt returner. Find someone else. That's not the only problem, though. From the punting to the field-goal kicking, to the return game, Michigan needs to tighten things up.