Michigan is the Big Ten's last hope against Oregon

Chris Breiler | Oct 31, 2024

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Michigan Wolverines

Apparently Oregon didn't get the memo that said former Pac 12 teams would struggle competing in the Big Ten conference. Heading into this weekend's matchup against Michigan, the Ducks are currently the No. 1 team in the nation and are a perfect 5-0 in conference play (8-0 overall).

On the flip side, Michigan (5-3) has struggled mightily following the national championship season of 2023. Although the Wolverines got a big win against the rival Spartans last weekend, they have no shot at competing for a fourth consecutive Big Ten championship this year. Worse yet, any hope of making the 12-team College Football Playoff is now a long shot at best - particularly with three of the final four regular season games coming against Top 15 ranked opponents.

But the bleak outlook for Michigan could change in a very, very big way this weekend. Even as a two-touchdown underdog to the Ducks, the Wolverines have no intention of letting Oregon walk into the Big House and cruise to an easy victory. On top of keeping their playoff hopes alive, a win for the Wolverines this weekend would also go a long way toward changing the current narrative surrounding their football program.

In order to pull off the upset, Michigan will need to do something it hasn't done since 1984 - beat the No. 1 ranked team.

Michigan hosts No. 1 Oregon Saturday, looking to snap an 8-game losing streak to No. 1 ranked teams. UM's last win vs. No. 1 was 1984 vs. Miami. Oregon is 14½-point favorite at Michigan via @CircaSports
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 31, 2024

So far, the Big Ten hasn't done a great job at putting the newcomers in their place... at least not when it comes to Oregon. Michigan State failed. Ohio State failed. Purdue failed. Illinois failed. If Michigan can't get it done this weekend, it's highly likely that the Ducks will run the table and finish with a perfect regular season record in their first year as part of the Big Ten conference. The reigning national champions can't allow that to happen.

Put simply, Michigan is the Big Ten's last hope against Oregon in 2024.

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