HARBAUGH LOOKS TO PULL EVEN WITH HOKE

The Michigan Football team is prepping for what could be its last victory of the season, a home game against Rutgers on Saturday. If Scarlet Knights receiver Leonte Caroo is 100% for the contest, he may have a key role in foiling the Wolverines. At this point, we will concede the seventh win that was widely predicted by almost all major sports media outlets before the season began. If the home team wins, Jim Harbaugh will pull even with Brady Hoke in the First Year standings, with both coaches posting 7-2 records at the nine-game mark in their first season on the sidelines in Ann Arbor.

But after this weekend, the path gets increasingly rough for UM. They have three games left after Rutgers, with two on the road and the third at home against Ohio STATE. While the Wolverines may be favored against Indiana and Penn State, both teams have strong veteran quarterbacks with impressive credentials. That seems to be the recipe for defeating Michigan this season.

Here's a quick look ahead at why UM MAY LOSE ALL THREE GAMES after this weekend:

INDIANA:  Nate Sudfield is actually the leading quarterback in the B1G, not Connor Cook. Sudfield is ranked #15 in the NCAA in QB-rating. While the Hoosiers don't have much defense, the Wolverines don't have much offense, either. So it may come down to a passing clinic by Sudfield, who does not appear to have a "favorite receiver" for Jourdan Lewis to wrap his arms around. The ball could go anywhere on the field on every play, with a no-huddle series on every possession. If Michigan is favored in this game, take the points.

PENN STATE:  Christian Hackenberg is the most prolific passer in Nittany Lion history, which may or may not be saying much. But he's no Jake Rudock, if you catch my drift. (You know how Connor Cook has 17 TD passes to only 2 INTs? Hackenberg has 14 TDs to only 2 INTs as well.) PSU has also selected UM for its famous "White-Out" game, so you can expect very little yellow and blue in the stands that day. If Michigan is favored in this game, take the points.

OHIO STATE:  The Buckeyes are better than the Wolverines by every measurement. It's an ongoing UM fantasy to dream about upsetting the defending national champion, for no other reason than they have "played them close" in recent years. What the Michigan Faithful cannot understand is that Urban Meyer was playing cat-and-mouse with That Team Up North in order to keep Brady Hoke clapping his hands on the sideline. Now that there is no reason for Urban to not blast his main rival, he will simply blast his main rival. If Michigan is favored in this game, take the points.

A quarterback controversy is simmering in Ann Arbor, where Rudock is ranked #96 in the country with 7 TDs to 6 INTs. Wilton Speight played some last week, and most fans either want to see more of the backup, or less of both players. The "fluke win" against Minnesota has muted the tenor of this debate, but it will flare up with the next Michigan loss.

The Wolverines remain a heavy favorite against Rutgers, and after all, the Scarlet Knights are only 3-5, so it is certainly a winnable game for the home team. Get ready for the Bluebloods to keep blowing their horns when they get that seventh win all through next week. But prepare for the end of the Harbaugh Hysteria, coming to a stadium near you in the month of November.

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