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Michigan Football Parting Thoughts: Take The Win And Move On
It wasn’t the prettiest victory for Michigan football, but considering what other top teams did on Saturday, let’s just take the win and move on.
Can we all agree on this—that yesterday’s game wasn’t pretty? Odds makers figured Michigan football to beat in-state rival Michigan State by three touchdowns, but the Wolverines didn’t come close to covering that.
At the start of the fourth quarter, with Michigan leading 30-10, it looked as though the Wolverines just might do it—cover the spread, that is—and then … it’s still not clear what happened.
That fourth quarter was a lot closer than it should have been. On five offensive possessions for Michigan, the results were: interception, field goal, punt, punt, punt. Without a few good defensive stops and Jabrill Pepper’s 97-yard return of a failed 2-point conversion, Michigan State might have moved within five points at the end of the game.
But it was another win for Michigan, the eighth in a row for this wild ride of a season.
Not only did Michigan beat “Little Brother” for the first time since 2012, it did it on the road at Spartan Stadium for the first time since 2007, which seemed to be close to its 75,005 official capacity. To be fair, Michigan fans seem to have bought quite a few of those tickets, but the Spartans fans were loud at times and stayed in the game until the end.
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So, what should we make of yesterday’s game? After taking a look at the other scores on Saturday, I say we take the win and move on.
Turns out, most of the top-10 teams had a similar (or worse) kind of day.
Alabama had a bye week and didn’t play. It will likely remain in the top spot in the polls. Then there’s Michigan at No. 2 and Clemson at No. 3 barely held on to beat No. 14 Florida State, 37-34. Without a 17-point come-from-behind fourth quarter, Clemson would no longer be among college football’s undefeated teams. I wonder if the Tigers will be able to maintain their No. 3 ranking.
No. 4 Washington, playing No. 17 Utah, was tied 24-24 with only 9:07 to go. A 58-yard punt return for a touchdown allowed Washington stay unbeaten. I see Washington moving up to No. 3.
No. 5 Louisville, with Heisman hopeful Lamar Jackson under center, is 7-1 on the season, and only a 29-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining (against unranked Virginia) allowed the Cardinals to stay in the hunt. Question: Can anyone tell me why Louisville belongs in the top five?
And let’s not forget our beloved Buckeyes, led by affable head coach Urban Meyer. No. 6-ranked Ohio State clobbered unranked Northwestern, 24-20. Er, actually, the Buckeyes eked out the victory very late in the game. Ohio State moved to 7-1 but has recently not looked like the No. 2 team it was just a couple weeks ago.
May I mention one more team? No. 7 Nebraska fell to No.11 Wisconsin, 23-17. The Huskers now have one loss and Wisconsin has two. Nebraska may be out of the top 10 when the new polls are released.
Michigan’s victory on Saturday, considered alongside the rest of the top teams in the country, begins to look pretty good.
Next week? Unranked Maryland. It’s time to take yesterday’s win and start looking for Win 9.
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