Michigan heads on the road for the second straight week to face Indiana. Michigan has faired well versus Big Ten opponents so far this season as they beat a high-octane Maryland team and controlled the game in a tough Iowa environment.
From an outside perspective, the Wolverines should dominate Indiana as they are a three-touchdown favorite. However, with a potential top 10 matchup looming next week versus Penn State, Michigan might fall victim to the look-ahead matchup.
Michigan top 10 scoring offense versus Indiana’s woeful 99th-scoring defense
Football is a game of matchups, and one of the more basic and obvious forms of matchup is offense versus defense. Statistically, Michigan has a huge edge. Michigan is ranked 6th in the country in scoring offense, while Indiana ranks just outside the bottom 30 teams at 99th.
Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has been one of the X-factors so far this season, and his versatile playmaking ability seems to be the key for Michigan during the first half of the season. However, despite being ranked 6th in the country, Michigan’s offense still seems to have a lot to prove. During the second half versus Iowa, Michigan’s offense went a little cold, and fortunately for the Wolverines, Iowa’s offense could not capitalize.
Meanwhile, Indiana’s defense has struggled. The Hoosiers allowed 35 points to a Nebraska team that has had a rollercoaster of a season. They allowed 45 points to Cincinnati, and on paper, Michigan’s offense has proven to be more potent. Indiana will have their hands full trying to contain a high-powered Michigan offense.
How will Michigan handle the “Look Ahead Game”?
The “Look Ahead Game” is one of the oldest concepts in college football. The idea is simple. When a superior team is playing an inferior opponent with a big matchup the following week, the superior team tends to come out stagnant and upsets could occur.
Michigan finds themselves in this spot with a potential top 10 matchup in Ann Arbor next week versus rival Penn State. It seems as if the stars could be aligning for Michigan to struggle or even lose the game outright.
Michigan must have heard the noise all season that they have played no “real” teams. The beginning of their season was fairly easy, to say the least. While Michigan is undefeated in two matchups in the Big Ten, the Wolverines have played teams they are expected to beat. They have yet to play a team that could seriously give them trouble. Playing Maryland was the closest they have got to struggling, and even then, they were expected to handle business.
Now, in one week, Michigan faces an elite-level team at their home stadium with the entire college football world watching. How much should one expect Michigan to really focus on the task at hand this week?