Will Johnson and Colston Loveland officially ruled out for Michigan football vs. Ohio State

Michigan football is a huge underdog going into "The Game" on Saturday against Ohio State, which is 10-1 on the season with its lone defeat coming at No. 1 Oregon.

Michigan football played Oregon and also lost by three touchdowns. Yet, the Wolverines played much better against Indiana, a team that was competitive against Ohio State a week ago, and rolled Northwestern 50-6 in a confidence-building win.

That being said, this will be a difficult game to win. It might be as difficult as Michigan football has ever faced. Ohio State wants this bad after the last three years. And even though we knew the Wolverines were going to be shorthanded, it's now official as Will Johnson and Colston Loveland have each been ruled out of the "The Game."

It's a huge blow for Michigan. Johnson is the best cornerback in college football. Yet, he's been out since the Illinois game with an injury. Truth be told, Johnson hasn't been right since the USC when he picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, something he did twice in just six games.

Michigan could use a play like that on Saturday but nobody should criticize or question Johnson. He would be out there if he could and Will is an all-time Michigan football legend. So is Colston Loveland.

He missed the second half last week. Sherrone Moore was optimistic he would be back, but the tight end who should be a first-round pick in the spring, just like Johnson, has probably played his final game as a Michigan Wolverine.