It's not too often you can say this, but Northwestern and Michigan have a lot in common this year. It's really sort of eerie.
Both programs are within a game of each other in the standings: Michigan is 5-5 (3-4 Big Ten), Northwestern is 4-6 (2-5). Both are still fighting for bowl eligibility.
Both teams feature solid defenses (Northwestern allows 22.8 ppg, just a tick better than Michigan's 23.0), as well as offenses that struggle mightily to score (Michigan scores 20.4 ppg, Northwestern 18.0).
Both teams have had their share of problems with inconsistent quarterback play (Jack Lausch has a 5:4 TD:INT ratio as the Wildcats' second starting QB, while Michigan's Davis Warren is at 5:6 as No. 3). And both head coaches are learning on the job in their first full year as the man-in-charge after serving as a very successful interim the year before (Sherrone Moore went 6-0 while departed head man Jim Harbaugh was suspended last season, while David Braun went 8-5 and won a bowl game after Pat Fitzgerald was fired in July).
And, as hard as it is to believe that two Big Ten games playing their 11th game have played only two common opponents, both teams lost matchups with Washington and Indiana.
But for all those similarities, there is one big difference. The Wolverines are the winningest program in college football history and coming off of a national championship season. So you can bet that the expectations -- and resultant pressure -- are much higher for Moore. (Though any heat he was feeling got a couple degrees cooler as Michigan flipped the No. 2 2025 prospect in the nation, Bryce Underwood, from LSU on Thursday.)
So what can we expect from Michigan on Saturday in the Big House, where the Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight and 22 of their last 24 since 1960? We talked to Brock Heileg of Maize&BlueReview.com to get the inside intel.
MORE ON NORTHWESTERN-MICHIGAN:
The 3-2-1 going into Michigan week l Braun preps Northwestern for Michigan with bowl berth on the line
Q. It’s been a disappointing season in Ann Arbor coming off of a national championship. How would you assess Sherrone Moore as a head coach? Is he on the hot seat?
