Is Michigan football a contender or pretender heading into week 9?

Michigan football is off to a great start right now, boasting a 7-0 record and holding firm at No. 4 in the nation. The Wolverines have the chance to win their eighth game of the season this weekend when they take on the Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan’s first seven

Despite a perfect record, some still doubt Michigan’s abilities as a football team. Some will fairly point out that Michigan’s non-conference schedule was abysmal this season (Colorado State, UConn, and Hawaii). While it is true that Michigan did not play anyone for the first few weeks of the season, Big Ten play has started back up and that narrative should be long gone by now.

Since starting Big Ten play Michigan has knocked off Maryland (6-2), dominated both sides of the ball against Iowa, and ran a top-10 ranked Penn State team out of the building.

Last weekend, the Wolverines had a bye week; however the week prior Michigan football beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17. The Wolverines host a stumbling Michigan State team this weekend, though MSU is coming off of an overtime win over Wisconsin.

Contender or pretender?

Right now I think it is safe to say that Michigan football is a contender. I see no real reason that Michigan cannot win out heading into Ohio State, giving the Wolverines a floor of 11-1 with the possibility of 12-0.

Ohio State is in a similar boat, the Buckeyes have not played anyone so far this season and will need to beat Penn State at Beaver Stadium this weekend to remain perfect on the year. We will know a lot more about both Michigan and Ohio State by season’s end, seeing at the Wolverines and Buckeyes are the two best teams in the Big Ten and it isn’t close.

We must keep in mind that it isn’t 2017 anymore, and Michigan football is the defending Big Ten champions still. Since the start of the 2021 season, Michigan is 19-2, and has the opportunity to improve to 20-2 this weekend.

Will Michigan State improve Michigan’s resume?

Obviously a win over a talented conference opponent would be a nice addition to Michigan’s resume, but at the end of the day, the Wolverines will not gain much national respect from this win. The Spartans are 1-4 over their past five and have been run out of the building by far worse teams, such as Washington, Minnesota, and Maryland. If Michigan wants to gain anything from a win over Michigan State, it will need to be in blowout fashion.