1. Michigan will cover, but Cincy will fight
This isn’t a knock on Cincinnati, who are well on their way to recovering the program’s swagger that disappeared under Tommy Tuberville. It’s early in Fickell’s tenure, though, and we’ll likely have to wait until later in this season, at the very least, before seeing any extended signs of progress.
The issue for the Bearcats won’t be their surprisingly stingy defense, which may be able to give the Wolverines a bit of trouble early on, but their offense, which could struggle to crack 200 yards against the UM defense. We could be in for a slow start from both offenses, before the Wolverine offensive line begins to wear down the Bearcat D.
Both teams could draw positives from their performance — Michigan will be pleased to have taken care of business in their home opener and to have dodged the turnover bug, and Cincy will be heartened by a gutty display on the road against a potential top-ten foe.
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These are two teams that are likely to improve as the season goes on, and it’ll be fun to watch them feel out their own strengths and weaknesses in a moderately entertaining Week Two battle.