Michigan @ Illinois, Saturday, 10/12, Noon, ABC/ESPN Video

[Jeff Buchanan]

Illinois is terrible but Michigan is not good on the road. The turtle strategy that continues to afflict Michigan's offense has the potential to bite this team in the ass. I'm not confident M can win this.

[iam416]

Good lord. Illinois is awful. Peters was concussed yesterday. This is a rout. The reckoning is coming, but not this week.

[Cody_Russell]

M 48
Illinois 10
Won't be competitive at all. RIP Lovie's job.

[lineygoblue]

Illinois may be a tad better than Rutgers but I wouldn't want to place money on the difference.

If they bother to show up, Illinois fans will show tons of hatred toward Michigan. When the Illini were good, it was almost as tough as playing at the shoe, as far as the game atmosphere. They hate Michigan there. But again, .. will the fans show up in significant numbers to see the dog poop that their team has become?

I think Cody's score is a bit high, given yesterday's results, but Michigan should still win by a couple touchdowns.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Good lord. Illinois is awful. Peters was concussed yesterday. This is a rout. The reckoning is coming, but not this week.

Well, it could be. But, only if Michigan wasn't well into the bottom half of CFB's total rushing yards/game and total YPG.

M ranks 94th in Rushing YPG at 130.5 and this is after 4 games. Yesterday's clunker will drop them a few places lower.

They rank 81st in total offense per game, see above.

There's a pattern in this kind of stuff. Observers keep looking for the truth teller about M football ..... we've been waiting for 4+ years. The trend is down in every meaningful offensive category that can reasonably be applied to characterize good football teams let alone elite teams. Recruiting with not even a hint of an upward trend since Harbaugh and QB play with serious downward trends come to mind. Don Brown is responsible for anything good happening in M's world. So, there is that and it can't be ignored.

However, I think it has been pretty well established that the key to championships since 2010 or so is explosive offenses. The game theory that Harbaugh appears to be applying - conservative offense that plays to the defense and kicking game - is antiquated and won't win Championships. 4 seasons of not winning shit and losing to rivals/better teams is solid evidence supporting that assertion. Add the 5 games of shit-ball M offense in the 2019 season and you have nothing short of overwhelming evidence to support that take.

I got frustrated trying to find this years S&P+ after week 6 which includes offensive explosiveness. My bet is M is again in the bottom half. I did find OFEI after week 5 (would include the Rutgers game but not Iowa), M ranked 45th and they probably moved up 5 spots by the results of that game alone. The game against Iowa will move them down at least 5 and into the 50+ ranking range.

Now, I will admit randomeness could see Michigan paving Illinois but it will be because the Illini are a terrible football team just like Rutgers. So, nothing should be taken from that kind of win such as thinking some kind of switch getting switched on with the offense and Patterson suddenly becoming as good as, well, all the other dude QBs putting up huge numbers out there

[Hannibal]

[Cody_Russell]

I think Cody's score is a bit high, given yesterday's results, but Michigan should still win by a couple touchdowns.

One non-offensive TD in that prediction.
I expect Illinois will have several 3 & outs. Punt from their 20/30. Give M offense excellent field position.

Then the M offense will be back to struggling @ Penn St.

[iam416]

Illinois, in its last 3 games, has given up 332 yards RUSHING to the Goofer, 674 yards to FROSTY!!!! and 480 yards and 34 points to EASTERN Michigan. This has to be a 45 point game with 200+ yards rushing at 6 ypc.

[iam416]

Then the M offense will be back to struggling @ Penn St.

If they ONLY struggle at Penn State then they have a chance. I think it's as likely they'll zoom way past struggle straight to catatonic. I'm becoming increasingly optimistic that M won't get the offense figure out by the end of November and that OSU will have a shot on the road.

[WM Wolverine]

Penn State vs Iowa this weekend will give us a good data point on the B1G. Penn St should win comfortably but it'll help us sort out if they are clearly better than M, and how close they are to the Buckeyes... Clifford seems way better QB than Shea though I'd give M's defense the edge. Franklin > Harbaugh too.

[iam416]

The road game will be tough for Penn State. I'm really not sold on their running game at all. I think Clifford is growing as a QB and, well, they actually run him. And KJ Hamler is a badass and they actually try to get him the ball. But, I expect that they will find themselves in a Kinnick Death Slog. I don't expect Iowa's offense to do all that much. It's gonna be 20-17 or some such shit.

[Hannibal]

I'm seeing Michigan -22 now.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Never EVER underestimate the power of LOVIE!!! Of course HARBAUGH!!! trumps LOVIE!!!

HARBAUGH!!! 56 LOVIE!!! 16

[Tom W]

. Clifford seems way better QB than Shea though I'd give M's defense the edge. Franklin > Harbaugh too.

That either of the first or last statements can't be successfully argued against is very telling in a bad way.

[lineygoblue]

Why is Franklin considered better than Harbaugh?

Head to head, Harbaugh is 3-1 against Franklin

Franklin has got a lot of ink for what Sasquan did 2 years ago, but Harbaugh beat Franklin in '15, '16 and '18.

Even in ohio and east lansing they consider 3-1 to be better than 1-3.