Michigan football will take the field against Oregon on Saturday in the 10th game of a season that has been a massive disappointment.
This Michigan team was supposed to make a push for the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines came within a play of beating ranked teams, Iowa and Indiana. Yet, they also needed a Hail Mary to avoid a loss against Western Michigan and were embarrassed by Michigan State last week.
People want to say the App State loss was the worst in program history. Well, at least that loss came against a good team. Michigan State is a bad team that was down to its fourth-string running back. The Spartans were starting a fourth-string cornerback.
Yet, they were the hungrier team. The Spartans cared about the rivalry. Kyle Whittingham has scoffed at Michigan's rivalries and trophy games. He even made the comment that there are no trophy games left, which is true, but Ohio State is the biggest game on the schedule, even if the winner won't get any sort of hardware.
Whittingham then decided to poke the bear, calling out Oregon's ability to pay players. It was a weird comment coming from a Michigan football head coach who has a $12 million quarterback sitting on the bench because his hand-picked offensive coordinator failed miserably.
Michigan will end up paying over $10 million for an offense that ranks outside the top 130. Jim Harding will call the plays on Saturday against Oregon. You have to hope it will make some sort of positive impact, especially on the running game, but Harding has never called plays. He's an offensive line coach, whose offensive line hasn't been up to snuff, although injuries have been a factor.
Beyond the injuries, it feels like the offensive line is doing more thinking than playing. At times, they don't know who to block. At least that's how it looks, and in a college football program, at any level, there is no excuse for that.
Oregon's run defense is solid, allowing 3.7 yards per attempt. Their defensive line is as good as Michigan has seen all season, and points will be hard to come by. Oregon does have backup quarterback Dylan Raiola, but since leading a comeback win over Nebraska, he's been solid.
Raiola threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Ohio State last week. Oregon also limited the Buckeys to 53 yards on the ground. Winning at Autzen, maybe even keeping it close could be a huge challenge for Michigan football.
Here is a look at the final odds, plus our prediction.
Finals odds for Michigan vs. Oregon in Week 11
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
- Oregon: -10.5 (-110)
- Michigan: +10.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- Oregon: -410
- Michigan: +300
Total
- O/U: 38.5 (-110/-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER
Can Michigan football hang with Oregon?
I expect the Wolverines to have plenty of fight. Starting center Jake Guarnera said he wouldn't tolerate any quitting on this team.
However, the Wolverines are out-manned. Up to seven starters could be out for this game, including Michigan's top two pass rushers. It also doesn't help when the head coach has the engagement level of someone about to sleep through a matinee.
Whittingham walked to midfield last week with his unplugged head set still on, which made you wonder, was it ever on? Multiple times this season, Whittingham said he didn't like the play call after the game.
It's like Whittingham forget he was the head coach and every play called on the field is his. If he is listening, and doesn't change it, it is his call. And he allowed some really stupid plays to be called, which cost Michigan multiple games this season.
Maybe the Ducks will put Whittingham out of his misery. Some have suggested he could get fired if there is a blowout loss. While Michigan will lose this game, at least that's my prediction, I just don't see the offense scoring enough points.
But the defense will keep it close and Michigan will do enough to cover the spread, losing 20-13.
Add us as a preferred source on Google