Week 6: Michigan Wolverines take on the BLACKOUT

If you look up the definition of reeling in the dictionary, you'd probably see the famous winged helmet as an example. Brady Hoke began the year on the hot seat already, and two back-to-back home losses to Utah and Minnesota have put the burners on maximum heat. This is Michigan football, after all, and the Wolverines should always be at the forefront of national elite. Nevermind that they haven't even come close to being elite since Rich Rodriguez was hired.

This is an unbelievable opportunity for the Scarlet Knights to put the Penn State loss behind them and show a national primetime audience that Rutgers can compete in the Big Ten. RU is the better team at the moment, and defeating a weakened Wolverines squad is still better than the biggest margin of victory against Tulane. The quarterback situation is a mess, the fans are out for blood, and Hoke most likely won't be employed by the Wolverines by the end of the season (possibly sooner). If not for the first B1G win for the program, Rutgers needs to win because they're simply better right now.

Profile

Michigan Wolverines (2-3, 0-1 B1G) Last week: Lost v. Minnesota 14-30

2013 Record: 7-6 (3-5 B1G)

Head Coach: Brady Hoke (75-66, 28-16 Michigan)

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Series: First meeting

Broadcast Info

Saturday, October 4 - 7:00 PM

Channel: Big Ten Network

Forecast: Tailgating - 10% to 0% chance of precipitation, 61 degrees into the afternoon; Kickoff - Clear, 63 degrees at kickoff, 0% chance of precipitation

Game Links

Knowing your enemy: Michigan Wolverines - Looking back on what we expected from Michigan in the preseason.

Michigan QB situation is a mess - The Michigan FanSided site looks into the ugly situation at quarterback for the Wolverines, and calls for Devin Gardner to be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

Wolverines open as 3-point underdogs - Fellow SB Nation site Maize 'n' Brew looks at Michigan's opening line from Vegas.

The Fireable Offense of Brady Hoke - MnB revisits a moment from last Saturday's Minnesota game, in which Hoke inserted freshman QB Shane Morris while concussed.

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The college football national audience predicted that one of these teams could be a dumpster fire entering Saturday, but few thought it would likely be Michigan instead of Rutgers. Alas, the Wolverines are in desperate times. Rutgers is projecting upward, and the Scarlet Knights can get a huge head start to bowl eligibility by taking down the famous winged-helmets. With a win against Michigan, Rutgers needs just one more win, and with Maryland and Indiana remaining on the schedule, the road to the postseason looks that much brighter.

The BLACKOUT games have been hit-or-miss since they returned in 2011, with losses to WVU and Louisville, and wins against Pitt, UConn, and Arkansas. The atmosphere has always been elevated with the change in uniform color, but will the fans be just as amped for the Penn State game?