Northwestern V. Michigan

 

Northwestern V. Michigan -- NOON E.S.T.

This is not as easy a pick as you might think.

Michigan is ranked 9th in both polls. Very respectable considering their loss to inconsistent Notre Dame early on.

As usual, Northwestern wasn't on anybody's radar at the beginning of the season.  Still not much of a blip. But something interesting has happened.

The Big Ten title is on the line. Michigan and Wisconsin are both 6-0 in the Big Ten.  And they don't play each other this year [a good reason for a Big Ten title game].  Wisconsin takes it all if they both go undefeated. I think that's based on per capita cheese consumption or something equally relevant.

Iowa, an early pre-season favorite is 5-1 and could still cause trouble.  But guess who's sitting back in the bushes ready to be the spoiler of all time?

Northwestern. At 4-2, they're still in the hunt. Mathematically.  Realistically. NOT. But oh, the damage they could do to Michigan.

I wasn't going to root for NU today even though I went there -- get over it. I was leaning toward a U of M Big Ten Championship. This year I have an "any team but Wisconsin" bias.

But now that I know NU actually has a chance to be really bad boys [not easy to do when your uniforms have so much purple], I may wait till halftime to decide who I'm going to root for.

Michigan plays Ohio State next week I believe, which is a much bigger game for them, physically, spiritually, financially, whatever.  And you could argue they're already looking ahead to that one. 

So I will be watching those first two quarters with great interest before I decide who to back.

Unless anybody wants to make a friendly wager.  And gimme points. A lot of them.

 

 

UPDATE:

Nine minutes to go

Michigan 40-something, NU 13.

Is that a fat lady I hear singing? LOL