After a much-needed bye week, Michigan football will be back in action, in a historic venue, as the Wolverines will travel to Wrigley Field to do battle with Northwestern.
Last season, the Wolverines destroyed the Wildcats in Ann Arbor, 50-6. It was a get-right game for the Wolverines, which helped propel them into a win over Ohio State.
Michigan football is in a much different spot this season. The Wolverines are 7-2 and ranked 18th in the College Football Playoff rankings, well within striking distance of the 12-team playoff.
The Wolverines don't have any margin for error, though. Every game is a playoff game at this point in the season. Northwestern also isn't a pushover. The Wildcats won at Penn State. They are also 5-4 and seeking bowl eligibility.
It's hard to image a better way for Northwestern to do that than by upsetting Michigan. The Wolverines are 2-2 this season in road games. They need to make it 4-2 if they want to stay alive for the playoff heading into the Ohio State game.
The starts with a win on Saturday. Here's a final look at the odds, plus some predictions.
Michigan vs. Northwestern odds
The line has moved a little in Northwestern's direction. The Wolverines are a 10-point favorite. They over/under is 41.5 points and the moneyline is -410 for Michigan and +320 for Northwestern.
Michigan vs Northwestern predictions
We offered up five predictions for the game on Friday. In our view, the Wolverines will win a competitive game but find a way to cover the spread thanks to some second-half takeaways.
The running game will be key. It's also important to get Bryce Underwood playing with confidence. As far as other prognosticators, everyone over at The Wolverine picked Michigan football to knock off Northwestern on Saturday. All the Maize and Brew predictions are in favor of Michigan, too.
Yet, nobody expects a blowout. The biggest spread predicted was 16 points. Most see a one or two-score game that is tight in the second half.
It isn't easy to win on the road in the Big Ten. Good teams can do it and Michigan football has a chance to prove it's a good team once again on Saturday.