After a bit of a three week lull following the Notre Dame game, Michigan gets back into the difficult game category of the schedule as they travel to Northwestern. The Wildcats aren’t elite, though they never really are, but they should be very solid. I think Michigan comes into this game with a lot of confidence, sitting at 4-0.
Northwestern may very well also be undefeated, with Purdue, Duke and Akron on schedule before this. Also, they’re coming off a bye week. This will likely be a top 25 matchup, and Northwestern students and fans will be more than excited to support their team against the mighty Wolverines. You see where I’m going with this.
If there’s a trap game on this schedule, it’s either this, Maryland, or Indiana. I went into this wanting to pick at least one trap game loss, knowing Michigan football’s history under Harbaugh. That trap game loss is against Northwestern. The Wildcats will be mean, scrappy, and ready to play.
If Clayton Thorson is as good as he can be, this offense can give Michigan’s vaunted defense a lot more trouble than most other teams on this schedule. Throw in Northwestern’s seven returning starters on defense, and this team seems perfectly built to attack Michigan’s strengths and weaknesses.