EVANSTON - On the surface, Northwestern’s game against Michigan looks like a ho-him affair between two mediocre teams with just nine wins between them.

But both the 4-6 Wildcats and 5-5 Wolverines know that this game is critical for their bowl hopes and more is at stake than just the George Jewett Trophy that goes to the winner.

"Incredible opportunity ahead of us in Ann Arbor against a very good Michigan team," said Northwestern head coach David Braun on Monday. "They are a team that is line-of-scrimmage based. They're going to establish the run, stay committed to it, and are very talented up front."

The Wolverines need one more win to become bowl-eligible, though with No. 2 Ohio State looming in their final week, they'll be very eager to lock up their postseason prospects against the Wildcats.

Northwestern would love to close out the season with wins over Michigan and then Illinois in the season finale to get to six wins and a guaranteed bowl berth. But one win will give them a shot at an invitation based on the program’s always stellar Academic Progress Rate.

The Wolverines rank second-to-last in the Big Ten in offensive yards per game, ahead of only Northwestern, so this is likely to be an ugly, low-scoring affair. But Michigan ranks eighth-best in rushing yards per game behind bruising runner Kalel Mullings and change-of-pace back Donovan Edwards. Both have more than 500 yards headed into this matchup.

"If [defensive coordinator] Tim McGarigle was up here with me, he'd tell you that priority number one for a defense in the Big Ten is stop the run," Braun said. "That will certainly be tested this week against Michigan."

New Ryan Field releases new renderings: Northwestern is close to wrapping up the first of two seasons it will play without a permanent home stadium, and the university published a new video on Monday with some updated and refined looks at what the new Ryan Field will look like.

Braun took the helm as permanent head coach barely a week before the Evanston City Council voted in favor of the stadium construction, so he was on the outside for much of the early planning and advocacy process. But he has since become one of the staunchest supporters of the transformative project.

"Starting with Pat Ryan Jr. and the Ryan Family as a whole, they've been incredible keeping myself and the program up to speed," Braun said. "So has our administration and our AD, Mark Jackson, taking a lot of that off our plate so we can focus on winning football games while keeping us in the loop...

"They've asked all the questions of what it needs to be operationally on game day, and from a recruiting standpoint. For the recruiting season when we're out of fall and into winter, it's going to be a game changer for us. For our recruits to step on campus and experience the new Ryan Field, even when we're out of season, to see that venue we'll be playing in, I've been really, really blown away."

Football isn't the only show in town for NU in Ann Arbor: Braun started his press conference by lauding women's field hockey head coach Tracey Fuchs and her No. 2-ranked Wildcats after they advanced to the Final Four that will also be played on Michigan’s campus this weekend.

"I'll start off with a huge shout out to Tracey Fuchs and the women's field hockey team," he said. "Excited that their semifinal contest will be in Ann Arbor [on Friday]...It's been exciting to watch them this season and hopeful that this will be a great weekend for the Cats all around."

Northwestern will face off against UMass on Nov. 22 on ESPN+ at 2 pm CT. If they win, a repeat of last season's championship likely looms and the Wildcats will be hungry for revenge on Nov. 24 should No. 1 North Carolina beat St. Joseph's on the other side of the bracket.

Expect Oratokhai to close out the season: Northwestern made a change at left guard last week with true freshman Ezomo Oratokhai in the starting lineup ahead of grad transfer Cooper Lovelace, who had started eight games at that position this season.

Oratokhai had played the majority of snaps off the bench a few weeks ago against Wisconsin, but had otherwise stayed on the bench.

"He's been consistently improving in practice, not just the last couple weeks but throughout the course of the entire season as we've become very thin on the O-line," Braun said. "Cooper was dinged up coming off of Purdue, which provided Mo even more reps.

“As the game flow was going, the initial plan was to rotate, but some of the things we were seeing out of Mo in game led us to believe it was in our best interest to let him keep rolling."

Braun confirmed Oratokhai will start this week at Michigan, making the first two starts of his career at Wrigley Field against No. 2 Ohio State and then at the Big House.

Oratokhai was a late add lotion to Northwestern's Class of 2024, committing in January, but has become one of two players to contribute in their first year, along with receiver Hayden Eligon II.

What's even better is that Oratokhai can close out the season at Michigan and against Illinois and still retain his redshirt because he played in four games, opening up a very bright future with potential for four more years in purple and white.

"I'm really proud of the way he's developed and his ability to go against the No. 2 team in the country, one of the best defenses in the country, and really compete," Braun said.

Mueller still under evaluation: Northwestern had hoped to have linebacker Xander Mueller back this season after an injury against Wisconsin a month ago, but time is running out for the captain to make his return.

"It's up in the air. I said last week we were optimistic that he would be back and again, I have a lot of optimism that Xander will be back, hopeful for this week," Braun said. "We'll know more mid-week. What I can say clearly is Xander Mueller — we have a lot of tough guys on this team, Xander Mueller is one of the toughest individuals that I've ever been around. If he's able to get cleared, he'll be back on that field."

The Wildcats were 3-4 in games with Mueller, and are 1-2 since. Greyson Metz has performed admirably in relief but could face another tough challenge from a Michigan front that includes guard Josh Priebe, who was a three-year starter for Northwestern before transferring after last season.