After winning three of their first four games, the Michigan Wolverines find themselves ranked 20th in the AP poll. Michigan football is in a good spot, one game into the Big Ten season.
If Michigan wants to be in the playoff mix in November, it has a narrow margin of error. Ohio State might be the only ranked opponent left on the schedule for the Wolverines.
Outside of USC, Michigan should be favored in every game until the Ohio State game, so a 10-1 or 9-2 record isn't far-fetched. The Wolverines have to take care of business, though.
That starts this Saturday at 12:00 EST on Fox. Michigan will be featured on Big Noon Kickoff for the game against 2-2 Wisconsin. Looking ahead to that game, here are the five biggest questions the Wolverines are facing.
Can Michigan keep running the ball?
The Wolverines were able to beat Nebraska on the road thanks to 286 rushing yards. Justice Haynes was a big part of that with 149 yards and a 75-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
Jordan Marshall also had a breakout game with six carries for 80 yards and a 54-yard touchdown. The Wolverines not only have the Big Ten's leading rusher in Haynes, but Michigan is averaging 253 yards per game on the ground with an avreage of 6.7 yards per attempt.
Wisconsin has struggled this season. However, the defense hasn't been that bad, at least not the run defense, which is allowing just 2.1 yards per attempt through four games.
Wisconsin allowed just 133 rushing yards combined to Alabama and Maryland. They also allowed 2.9 yards per attempt, so this might be the best run defense Michigan has faced since Oklahoma.
Giovanni El-Hadi is expected back this week. Jake Guarnera has also been stellar. If he isn't the new starting right guard, he will get some snaps off the bench.
Wisconsin will want to make Michigan one-dimensional. The Wolverines need to avoid that and they might need to keep Underwood involved in the running game but Michigan needs to have success on the ground or this game will be much closer than expected.
How much has Bryce Underwood improved?
Even before the bye week, Underwood has played well. The raw numbers aren't spectacular, but if the wide receivers would hold onto the ball, it would help.
One thing coaches have said about Underwood is that he learns from his mistakes. Even after the Nebraska game, it felt like he was hungry to improve.
It will be interesting to see what the plan is with him. Running the ball 5-10 times per game is ideal. This might be a great chance to sprinkle in some more zone read or some more QB counter.
Either way, with rushing yards harder to come by, Underwood will have a more active role than he did against Nebraska. You'd like to see more passing production, but a lot of that comes back to the receivers and who is healthy.
Will Hogan Hansen be available?
If this offense is going to reach its full potential, it needs Hogan Hansen. We saw what he brings to the offense during the win over Central Michigan.
Hansen is 6-foot-5. He's got some of the best hands on the team, and with Bryce Underwood's ability to thread the needle, Hansen could be the beneficiary of the lack of receiver talent.
Donaven McCulley has been as good as advertised. Channing Goodwin needs to step up, but regardless of who is getting the ball, guys need to start making plays for the quarterback.
There are going to be some drops. No team will catch every pass but the touchdown drops, and there have been a few, can't keep happening as consistently as they have.
We'll see if that changes. It's hard to have confidence in the wide receiver room beyond McCulley, but Hansen can be a difference-maker. If he can get healthy.
Who will play quarterback for Wisconsin?
At this point, we don't know. Billy Edwards, who considered Michigan football, before transferring to Wisconsin, suffered a knee injury in the first game of the season. He hasn't returned. With a bye week, it's possible that Edwards could return to the lineup Saturday.
That would make the Badgers' offense much more formidable. Danny O'Neil was injured against Maryland after throwing for 640 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions in four games. He might be back. Hunter Simmons, a transfer from Southern Illinois, completed 7 of 9 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown against Maryland, is the third option.
Wisconsin is averaging 205 passing yards per game. The Badgers are only rushing for 117.8 yards per game at a clip of 31 yards per attempt.
Michigan has been dominant against the run, so the Badgers should find some tough sledding. The Michigan pass defense has given up a few things, and if Edwards can play, that will make this matchup a little more interesting and less one-sided, at least on paper.
Will Michigan make a statement?
This game will tell us a lot about Michigan. Wisconsin and Luke Fickell have been the butt of plenty of jokes. Yet, the Badgers are still capable of making this game troublesome for the Wolverines.
If Michigan isn't able to run the ball, it will put lot of pressure of Underwood and his receivers to make some plays.
Wisconsin only has three sacks so far this season. The Badgers also have two interceptions and haven't been outstanding against the pass.
Underwood should be able to take advantage of this Wisconsin defense, even if it means being more aggressive throwing the ball, and throwing it downfield. He has that club in his bag. We have seen it. Not against Big Ten competition yet, but Underwood made some big-time throws against Nebraska.
If Michigan football is going to score 30 points or more, he will need to throw for more yards or have another 100-yard effort on the ground like he had against Central Michigan.
Underwood hasn't done that against a Big Ten team. He will need to this week unless Michigan overwhelms Wisconsin like it did Nebraska.