Michigan Player Says Wolverines Don't See Ohio State As 'Unbeatable'
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 26: Defensive Backs Josh Uche #6 and Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate after a play during a college football game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Entering the season, Michigan was a favorite to win the Big Ten. Early look-ahead lines from the preseason also gave the Wolverines an edge over Ohio State.
If you took the Buckeyes on one of those early lines, you're going to have some serious value entering next week. Ohio State hasn't missed a beat with the transition from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day, or Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields.
Ohio State is No. 2 in the country, and with Fields and J.K. Dobbins dominating on offense, and Chase Young leading the way on defense, there may not be a more balanced team in college football.
Meanwhile, Michigan's gone on a bit of a journey this fall.
After the preseason hype, the Wolverines took some big shots early, getting blown out by Wisconsin and losing a tough game at Penn State. Since that trip to Beaver Stadium, Jim Harbaugh has gotten a nice turnaround from his program.
The Wolverines crushed Notre Dame, 45-14 and Michigan State 44-10. Today, UM went on the road and scored a great 39-14 win over the best Indiana team in recent memory.
After the game, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said that the team is confident that it can keep things going against the Buckeyes, despite the brutal losing streak the Wolverines face in this series, which dates back to 2011.
From Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News:
Hutchinson's full quote:
“We’re all just gonna do our job and play the game we play. Obviously, this is the biggest game on our schedule…we don’t see them as unbeatable. Every team can be beat, and we’re just gonna go out there and do our job.”
He's right, of course. Penn State showed at least a few minor cracks in the Buckeyes' armor. Taking advantage is easier said than done, but Michigan has looked great for a month now. Ohio State may also not have that much to play for, after clinching the division title today. There's a decent chance the team could still make the College Football Playoff if it wins the conference, after a loss to Michigan. Looking past the Wolverines wouldn't be the Buckeye approach though. Ryan Day confirmed as much after today's game. We should see two very motivated teams in Ann Arbor next weekend. [
“We don’t see them as unbeatable. Every team can be beat” — Hutchinson on OSU pic.twitter.com/qjFOyqmscN
— angelique (@chengelis) November 24, 2019
">Angelique Chengelis]
