Michigan enters College Park on Saturday as a heavy favorite. But as we’ve seen in the last few games, the Wolverines are making things hard on themselves with costly turnovers and special teams mistakes.
Between fumbling the football, throwing interceptions, and missing kicks, Michigan has allowed lesser teams to stay within reach. Last week, it almost cost the Wolverines the game. Luckily, kicker Dominic Zvada rebounded after missing two kicks and nailed a game-winning kick as time expired to beat Northwestern.
RELATED: 3 predictions for Michigan’s must-win game vs. Maryland
With Michigan’s turnover issues and road woes, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli’s ‘upset of the week’ is taking Maryland straight up against the Wolverines. Clearly, if Michigan loses this game, the Wolverines can kiss the College Football Playoff goodbye.
We should start by saying that Fornelli is 1-11 on these picks this year. But he believes this pick is realistic due to the turnover issues and how poorly Michigan has played on the road. The Wolverines dropped both of their games against USC and Oklahoma on the road. The ‘Cats took Michigan to the brink this past week.
Add on injury issues and looking ahead toward Ohio State, Fornelli thinks this is a very realistic pick.
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“You might remember the Wolverines turned the ball over five times and needed a last-second field goal to beat Northwestern at Wrigley Field last week. You may also remember their road losses to Oklahoma and USC, as well as a close call against Nebraska. I know Maryland isn’t as good as any of those teams, but the other thing we have to consider here is next week.
“That’s when Michigan plays Ohio State. We all know how important that game is to the Wolverines, and how they’d love nothing more than to beat Ohio State again. This wouldn’t be the first time we saw a team get caught looking ahead to its rival now, would it? Finally, Maryland needs to win out to get to a bowl game. If they win this one, Michigan State at home is extremely winnable next week, too. You’re going to get a home run effort from the Terps here. Michigan better deliver the knockout early, because if it doesn’t, this one could be dicey down the stretch.”
Everyone is excited for ‘The Game’ next weekend, but with so much on the line — the Wolverines can’t be caught looking ahead. Michigan is currently ranked No. 18 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and the Wolverines have plenty of teams to pass up.
However, Michigan could get the best win of the season next week when Ohio State comes to town. But in order to accomplish their goals, the Wolverines have to get past Maryland first. The Terrapins have dropped their last six games after starting 4-0. Maryland is talented, but there is a reason why it has lost the last six.
If Michigan goes to College Park and loses, this would be a crushing loss and one that would haunt Sherrone Moore for years to come.
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