5 things to watch for Michigan football vs. Minnesota

Michigan football saved its season last Saturday, at least for the time being. A loss to USC would have dropped the Wolverines to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten.

With the difficulty of the schedule and everything else facing this team, that would have been tough to overcome. But, after rallying to beat the 11th-ranked Trojans, it feels like Michigan could have a chance to build some real momentum heading into the bye week.

That will require beating Minnesota at home and Washington on the road next week. Neither will be easy based on what Michigan is right now and here are five things to watch in the Battle for the Little Brown Jug.

Can Michigan football continue its dominance against PJ Fleck?

The Wolverines beat the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis 52-10 last season. Yet, Fleck has an 0-3 record against Michigan with the losses coming by an average of 30 points.

To be fair, Jim Harbaugh isn't around anymore. I always thought that Minnesota wanted to be like Michigan, it just didn't have the talent.

So for Minnesota, the first goal is making this a four-quarter game. They haven't done that in the Fleck era against Michigan football, but now with Sherrone Moore in charge, Michigan might not be the bully that it once was.

The Wolverines looked like it at times against USC, but not others. U-M is still finding its way and it feels like this game will tell us a lot about where this team is trending.