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Michael James of The Tribe Sports has spent more than 20 years in sports journalism at The Detroit News, New York Daily News and ESPN. This column is republished with permission.
By Michael James
After the dismantling of Penn State University, it would seem that University of Michigan football fans can relax until November 24 – when it’s expected that UM vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes will only mean everything.
For real, this time.
But, I caution that it’s not time to relax at all. Although experts would be right to expect cakewalks against lowly Rutgers and a decent Indiana Hoosiers team, there is still much that has to be done if Michigan is to realize, finally, the dream of a Big Ten title (and more).
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a little checklist of the Top Ten Things Michigan Must Absolutely, Unequivocally, do to make it to the NCAA College Football Playoff. Now, none of this is going to take away that nagging feeling of trepidation about Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes possibly spoiling this party, but it should provide something more positive to ponder.
Enjoy.
1. Win Out: This is the most obvious objective to be accomplished. It’s a near certainty that a one-loss Big Ten team will get the nod from the CFB Playoff Selection Committee. Win and you’re in. Simple.
2. Backup plan: You won’t believe this – cause I wrote it before Michigan played Penn State – but Jim Harbaugh absolutely needs to make sure Shea Patterson’s backups are ready – just in case Patterson goes down. What I didn’t predict is that second-stringer Dylan McCaffrey would suffer a broken collarbone against the Lions. This means Jim Harbaugh had better make sure Joe Milton is ready, preferably allowing him some extended time next week in an expected cake walk against Rutgers. As much as Michigan championship chances hinge on its defense, they also hinge on the quarterback. Have ‘em All ready.
3. Don’t look ahead to Ohio State: With the utter destruction of the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Wolverines made it through the daunting gauntlet of Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State unscathed. The Revenge Tour, it’s being called. Now, the danger is in looking ahead to the end of the season where only everything is on the line. And if you don’t think Rutgers and Indiana are anything to worry about and want to start game planning for late November at The ‘Shoe? Two words: Appalachian State. Forget about OSU until it’s time.
4. Destroy Rutgers – by as many points as possible: Sure, Michigan is in the College Football Playoff’s Top Four right now, but at this time of year a little leap-frogging always seems to happen. Which means that vanity wins matter. When Clemson puts up 77 points, that kind solidifies their position in the playoff standings. Ditto for a 29-0 spanking of No. 4 LSU by Alabama. A struggle against Rutgers or Indiana can have a devastating impact in the standings.
5. Dominate Indiana: If for no other reason than Michigan needs a full head of steam and confidence going into Ohio State on November 24, this final test before The Game will be a chance to prove that Michigan can beat opponents that they should beat – and in the way they should beat them. Sure, the final score against Penn State showed dominance, but Michigan still isn’t dominating teams offensively the way it should. They were up, 14-0, over Penn State at halftime. It should have been 28-0. Against the Hoosiers, who aren’t bad, by the way, Michigan should snatch their hearts early and never hand them back. That’s what it will take to beat an inspired Ohio State the following week.
6. Start fast: One of the strange hallmarks of Jim Harbaugh’s teams in the four years he’s been back in Ann Arbor is the fact that Michigan doesn’t often start as fast as they should on the offensive side of the ball. Games have been uncomfortably close because it continues to take the Wolverines time to warm up. Michigan needs to start fixing that against Rutgers, Indiana and Ohio State. Once into the playoffs, they’re playing against the big boys – who will hang 50 on you If given the chance.
7. Finish strong: It might seem that closing out games should be a given, but when you look back through the 12 losses of the Jim Harbaugh era, what you’ll see is that the last several scores of many of those games were by the opposition. To win the Big Ten title and entertain the notion of a national championship, Michigan absolutely HAS to finish games strong offensively. With a defense like they have, putting pressure on opponents offensively – and keeping it there until the end – makes Michigan the toughest out in college football.
8. Beat Ohio State by Any Means Necessary: If you have to bring an Uzi to win this game, bring it – figuratively speaking, of course. In reality, though, every single stride the University of Michigan Wolverines have made this season has led to this game. And most of it won’t mean a hill of beans if the Wolverines don’t take advantage of an uncharacteristically suspect Buckeyes team which should be ripe for the picking. Make no mistake, however, OSU won’t lie down for Michigan. The Wolverines will have to beat them down, no matter what it takes to do it.
9. Run, Shea, Run: At times, it appears that Shea Patterson is trying to audition for NFL scouts by showing he’s a drop-back, stay-in-the-pocket kind of guy. NO. Michigan doesn’t really get going until Shea starts to run. That’s what makes the Wolverines’ offense its most dangerous. Against Michigan State, for some reason, Patterson didn’t start running until the fourth quarter. That sealed the victory. Until then, though, that game was closer than it should have been. Patterson ran early against Penn State, and you saw what happened there. Patterson needs to run all over Rutgers, Indiana, and Ohio State. Then he can worry about running to further glory. Or running on Sundays.
10. Gadgets: You may not agree with this one, but I promise you at some point over the rest of the season, Michigan will need some gadget plays to loosen up a defense, get its offense going or even to pull out a victory. Jim Harbaugh was supposed to be an offensive genius, but quite often, we don’t see much of that alleged creativity on offense. How about some wildcat action with Joe Milton or using Donovan Peoples-Jones as an actual decoy instead of a primary target? You know, try to fool people? Maybe he can call up Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, who always seemed to have cooked up a little something special for the Wolverines. Again, you may not agree with this one, but I expect you’ll be thanking me later.
