Michigan Preview

 No 25 questions this week.  I'm on the road and, frankly, of all the teams we might need to know something about, this is probably the least.  Whether you root for Ohio State or Michigan (after Bowling Green), there's a chance you know quite a bit about the Wolverines.

This is the highest-ranked team we have ever played.  We have previously played Ohio State and Boise.  The 2003 OSU game might be the biggest near miss in program history.  BG lost 24-17 and could very well have beaten the Buckeyes that day. The Boise game was at the Doyt in 2009.

(Editor's note.  I have been reliably informed and verified that the above information, which came out of the BGSU Game notes, is incorrect.  OSU was #1 when they played us in 2006.  Management regrets the error).

BG is about a 40-point underdog.  Based on this, in the last 25 years, only two teams have overcome bigger point spreads--when Howard beat UNLV in 2017 and when Stanford beat USC in 2007.  The Stanford coach?  Jim Harbaugh.

Speaking of which, it has been old home week between BG and Michigan.  Everyone knows by now that the Harbaughs lived in BG when both Jim and John were born.  Their Dad was a starter for the 1959-60 teams, one of which won the national championship.  And everyone involved knows Ay Ziggy Zoomba.

We have played twice previously.  We lost 42-7 in 2000, Gary Blackney's last season, and 65-21 in 2010 under Clawson.  Both years, we won 2 games all season.

Clearly, Michigan is a playoff team that is among the top in college football.  Beyond that, they are the kind of team that is a tough matchup for us, because they will mostly dominate the line of scrimmage and play power football.  They have won modestly in their first two games against similar opponents, scoring in the 30's both times.

An upset here is the biggest win in program history and one of the biggest upsets in modern college history.  It is also just as unlikely as all that sounds, but what did Howard think that day?

I hope we represent well and I hope we stay healthy.  The turning point of the season is next Saturday.