A lot has been made of Michigan’s lack of competition for the first three weeks of the season. Playing Colorado State, Hawaii, and UConn at home will ruffle some feathers of opposing fanbases. However, even with these matchups, Michigan has done what great teams are supposed to do; blow out the weaker competition. Now, heading into Week Four, the Wolverines are facing their first Big Ten matchup versus a high-octane Maryland squad.
How will Michigan face in their first “real” matchup of the season?
No. 1 Scoring Offense vs No. 29 scoring offense: Who will prevail?
Maryland’s offense has garnered a lot of recognition, so one would assume that the Terrapins were ranked as the No. 1 scoring offense. However, that assumption would be misguided. Michigan holds the number one spot for the most points per game in the country with 55.3 points a game. Meanwhile, Maryland averages 40.3 points per game.
However, Michigan leading all of college football in scoring should be taken with a grain of salt. Their three opponents are currently some of the worst teams in the nation in scoring defense.
Colorado State is ranked 125th.
Hawaii is ranked second to last at 130th
UConn is ranked the highest at 111th
The question becomes does Michigan play a role in these low rankings, or are these teams bound to be some of the worst in college football? Time will tell.
Maryland will be the best defense Michigan has yet to face ranking 45th in scoring defense. They kept one of the better offenses in college football, in SMU, to only 27 points. However, Michigan’s style of offense is vastly different, and the biggest question will be how Maryland will face in the trenches.
Furthermore, Maryland’s high-octane offense hasn’t had to play in a hostile environment on the road against a top-five defense in the country. Will they be able to find the success they need on offense in order to win the football game?
Michigan vs Maryland seems like a different matchup in 2022 than in 2021
The last time these two teams met up was in November of 2021, and it wasn’t exactly close. Michigan would come into College Park and win 59-18 in dominating fashion. However, Maryland is rolling heading into this matchup, and it should look a lot different than 2021.
Likewise, Michigan’s offense will differ quite a bit. JJ McCarthy now holds the keys to the offense. His type of playing style adds a different layer to Michigan’s offense. He is able to make plays with his legs which allow for more versatility in the offense. However, he is not the game manager Cade Mcnamara is, so it will be telling how McCarthy leads the Wolverines in their first Big Ten Matchup of 2022.