Purdue (Nov. 1): W
Another team on the schedule that has a first-year head coach is Purdue. The Boilermakers went 1-11 last season and fired head coach Ryan Walters.
Barry Odom, the former UNLV head coach takes over. Purdue has imported a bunch of transfers to its roster, but it's not a stretch to say the Boilermakers are one of the least talented teams in the Big Ten.
Devin Mockobee is back after rushing for 687 yards last season. Ryan Browne, who played in eight games with four touchdowns and three interceptions is back at QB, along with former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton.
Regardless of who starts, Purdue will struggle to move the ball. They ranked 130th in scoring offense last season and 131st in scoring defense. The Boilermakers will likely improve, it would be hard not to improve, but this should be another win for Michigan football.
This might be the easiest Big Ten game on the schedule, although in this conference, no game is easy. By this time of the season, Underwood will have eight games under his belt. Things will start to slow down, and other pieces should start to emerge.
Andrew Babalola might be ready to start at left tackle, which would allow Evan Link to bump inside to guard. There are other freshman who could be ready for bigger roles by this point in the season such as wide receiver Andrew Marsh or cornerback Shamari Earls.
Either way, Michigan wins a boring game against Purdue.
Michigan 27, Purdue 9