The Michigan Wolverines welcome in the Maryland Terrapins in college football action Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Currently the odds for the game have Michigan favored to pick up the win in their final home game.
Michigan absolutely needs to win this game if they are going to play in a bowl game this season. Their final battle of the season will see them travel to Columbus to take on the playoff potential Ohio State Buckeyes, who will be looking to put a stamp on their impressive season. Michigan has been through a bunch of turmoil this season from the stepping down of athletic director Dave Brandon to underachieving on the field, getting blown out more than once and all the talk of Brady Hoke losing his job. Yet the Wolverines are still plugging away on the season and picking up a win here would allow them to continue their season.
As well as Michigan travels, the potential 6-6 Wolverines will certainly be playing in a bowl game if they chose to.
Devin Gardner has not had a good senior season as the Michigan offense has been horrendous, scoring less than 21 points per game and being one of the leaders in turnovers this season. Michigan has not been able to get anything right offensively this season and because of that are looking at a six-loss season. Michigan, dating back to 1969, has only had five seasons of six or more losses, six if you count this season as well. The problem, though, is that Michigan has suffered five of those six-losses seasons in the last seven seasons. Whether there is a change or not at the coaching spot remains to be seen, but if Michigan finishes with two straight defeats to end this season, Hoke will most assuredly be gone.
Maryland comes into this game having gotten beat up by Michigan State last week. The Terps are scoring just under 29 points per game this season with dual threat QB C.J. Brown running the show. He's combined for 16 touchdowns on the season with over 2,000 yards of total offense. He leads the team in rushing, which is not a good thing for the Terps, who are 6-4 themselves on the season. Brown is going to have to keep from turning the football over to give his team a chance to win.
Defensively Michigan is very good. They allow opponents only 20.4 points per game but are dealing with the absence of Frank Clark, who was booted off the team this week for a domestic violence charge. Still, the Wolverines will look to keep the Terps under control in this one. If Michigan can pressure Brown and keep Maryland from stretching the field vertically, the Wolverines have an excellent shot to get the win.
Michigan is 3-0 all time against Maryland, but the teams haven't played since 1990. The Wolverines have also won two straight games for the first time this season and believe they have confidence coming into this one. In what should be a lower-scoring game, the team with the best defense is the way to go. That's Michigan, which should find a way to get a win here at home.
Free Pick: Michigan 28, Maryland 24
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