ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The bye week is supposed to be a chance for college football teams and their fans to reset and relax, but that’s certainly not what happened at Michigan.
Since Michigan’s 49-0 pounding of in-state rival Michigan State, national media outlets have spent 13 long days feasting on the program’s sign-stealing scandal. From incorrect reports about Jim Harbaugh’s contract extension to daily updates citing anonymous sources to ESPN’s giddy coverage of every tiny detail, no stone has gone unturned.
Michigan might be guilty -- the evidence sure doesn’t look good. But in the court of public opinion, the trial has already concluded. That’s often what happens when a team starts winning at the highest level.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s players have spent the past two weeks hearing all about how their back-to-back Big Ten championships and playoff appearances are tainted. All they can do is focus on what’s coming next: The critically important final third of the season.
Michigan has its eyes set on a national championship, and that quest resumes Saturday night against a Purdue team that’s had a bit of a rough go under first-year head coach Ryan Walters. They’ve played a tricky schedule (only one team with a losing record), but the Boilermakers certainly hoped to be better than 2-6 when they strolled into Ann Arbor for a Big Ten Championship Game rematch.
The Wolverines will either be rusty from a week off or angry and motivated by all the negative coverage. If the Michigan State game is any indication, it’ll probably be the latter.
Michigan is one of only five remaining undefeated Power Five teams and has been by far the most dominant of the bunch. Michigan has outscored opponents 325-47 -- an average score of about 40-6 over eight games. And by the way, five of those eight games were against teams that currently have winning records (CFP folks love that stat, right?).
The Wolverines are No. 3 in the first College Football Playoff rankings and looking to stay on course before next week’s high-profile showdown with No. 11 Penn State. Since kickoff against East Carolina, everyone has pointed to that trip to Happy Valley as the first true test of the season.
The vibe inside the Big House will be fascinating Saturday night -- fans welcoming back their championship-caliber team for a night game after everything that’s happened the past two weeks. I’m expecting a “Michigan vs. the world” mentality, though there’s no doubt the elephant in the room will be a dark cloud hanging over the festivities.
But as we wait for the NCAA investigation to plod its course, the Wolverines have a game to play. Finally, they can take their frustrations out on somebody else.
