It crazy how quickly fortunes can change in college football.
With 30 seconds left in the Iowa game, it looked like Michigan football was about to score its second win over an AP Top 20 team of the season, coupled with a 4-0 start.
The Wolverines were one play away from being ranked in the Top 15. Yet, we all know what happened next. Iowa scored a touchdown on literally the last play of the game to beat Michigan.
Michigan then laid an egg at Minnesota. Bryce Underwood had arguably his worst game as the Wolverines starting quarterback.
Suddenly, a promising season has Michigan sitting at 3-2. What's worse is that U-M is 0-2 in the Big Ten, with four of the final seven games coming against ranked teams.
It's a miserable place to be. A couple of special teams plays could be the difference between 3-2 and 5-0, although the Wolverines have been so bad offensively, they probaly don't deserve to be undefeated.
Michigan ranks outside the top 100 in rushing yards, pass offense, total offense, and scoring. It doesn't get much worse. The only thing that makes it sting even more is all the talent on the roster.
Underwood should be better than he is right now. After two steps forward (Iowa and Oklahoma), he took a huge step back against Minnesota. That's also QB development. It's not always linear.
What will happen from here? It's anyone's guess really, but we'll take some shots at the dartboard with five fearless predictions for the second half of the season.
Michigan dominates Penn State
Michigan doesn't just beat Penn State 13-10, although I could see that happening. I'll hardly be mad at the Big Ten if they banished this game to BTN+.
It will likely be on the Big Ten Network, though, which is crazy for a Michigan-Penn State game. The Nittany Lions aren't as bad as they looked against Northwestern.
Michigan isn't as bad as it has looked all season. Or maybe it is. After players and coaches have been talking about downhill running, we should actually see more it against Penn State.
Kyle Whittingham seems over the hill, but he's smart enough to know he needs to win some games. A 5-7 season is untenable. The passing game might still stink, but Underwood will run the ball, and the running backs will finally show us something good for an extended period of time if the offense is just simplified. One of the biggest issues is that the offensive line, at times, doesn't know who to block. Simplify things and let them do what they do best.
We just haven't seen Michigan dominate in the run game at all like we are used to. This might be wishful thinking, but it feels like a get right game, at least for the rushing attack, and the Wolverines will win something like 31-10.
That offense shouldn't move the ball against Michigan, at all.
A winning record
Whittingham is a proven winner. You have to hope that there will be some improvement. This bye week will be critical. If Michigan looks like the same team that we saw against Minnesota, then the Wolverines might not make a bowl game.
That's just a depressing thought. It's not out of the realm of possibility, though. However, if Michigan can just figure out the running game, get it back to where it was last season, the Wolveriners are good enough on defense, and in the trenches, to win seven games.
UCLA is ranked right now. We will find out a lot more about them this Saturday against Oregon, but after a cross-country trip, armed with an improved running game (hopefully), the Wolverines will win.
Finishing the season 7-5 is a disappointment, but it's much better than the alternative.
Bryce Underwood starts every game
Michigan's offense has a lot of problems. Bryce Underwood is one of them. He's not the biggest, though. Jason Beck's system is the much bigger issue. He isn't putting Underwood in a position to succeed. He is putting the entire offense in a position to fail. Just look at the running game.
Putting Tommy Carr in at quarterback isn't going to solve the issues with the Rhino. It could burn the bridge with an extremely talented quarterback in Underwood. Yes, it has been ugly. He's still a young quarterback who is in his second offensive system in as many years.
Jason Beck isn't putting him in a position to be successful. If that doesn't change during the bye week, Kyle Whittingham really has lost it. You aren't going to change offensive coordinators mid-season, but that makes more sense than playing Tommy Carr right now.
There will be some rocky moments. Carr might even play during a game in meaningful spots, but Underwood will start all 13 games, and he will be a Wolverine in 2027.
Jason Beck never figures it out
If Beck sticks with the Rhino package the way he has, then he can't be the Michigan football offensive coordinator moving forward. He has to get away from the gimmicks. This is the Big Ten.
There's a reason the Wildcat vanished from the NFL. It was a gimmick. It can work from time-to-time, but you can't run an offense based on the wildcat, just like you can't run an offense with the Rhino as your base formation.
Beck is the only play-caller in the country trying to do that. Either he needs to come back to Earth and get back to basics, or Kyle Whittingham needs to find a new offensive coordinator.
My guess is the final answer is somewhere in the middle. Whittingham will return, but Beck will be the scapegoat, as he should be.
Michigan loses to Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana handily
None of these games will be decided by single digits. Curt Cignetti is going to eat the lunch of this coaching staff. It could get ugly. Honestly, only the Ohio State game feels like it could be close, just because of how tight the Buckeyes tend to be.
We haven't seen the last ugly loss, though.
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