Ohio State Week has finally arrived for Michigan

ANN ARBOR – Both teams are competing for the same week each season, but it seemed like it was taking longer to get to this year.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that the defeat of Michigan Week 1 at Notre Dame left doubts early. Some national radio experts were questioning Jim Harbaugh and wondering if he was really the ideal candidate for Michigan.

Others asked if the Wolverines were still an elite football program. A record of 1-5 in the previous three seasons against the Michigan State and Ohio State rivals, then a defeat against Notre Dame, can make you think the worst. Of course, Michigan had accumulated victories along the way, but for what?

Now, some 10 games later, the Wolverines, ranked fourth, have calmed all opponents. They made up for that seven-point loss against the Irish who were fighting and overwhelming their opponents.

"We are in the playoffs – and that 's our state of mind right now," Jim Harbaugh said Saturday night, following his team' s 31 – to – 20 victory over Indiana. "The playoff wins are important, the wins against the Big Ten teams at the end of November are huge, so we're really proud of our team."

Berkley Edwards, Chase Winovich, Michigan

The last victory was not easy variety. Michigan (10-1, 8-0, Big Ten) fell behind for the first time in more than a month when the Hoosiers scored a touchdown in the first quarter, not only to put the Wolverines on notice, but also for the fact that they had come to play.

Really, this was the first time the Wolverines had had that feeling since Sept. 29, when Northwestern had a 17-0 lead, forcing Michigan to score 20 points without a win. There was nothing this Saturday night against Indiana – but the point remained the same.

"We did not run as well as we wanted," said halfback Karan Higdon, who ran 21 times for 101 yards and one touchdown. "We've had a few lost balls, mistakes and we can not have them, but I would prefer that to happen now than next week."

The most important game of the year on the Michigan calendar is here, on the road to the state of Ohio, on Saturday, November 24, a date that has been surrounded by many people since the last time they played last November. Some longer.

It's been almost seven years since Michigan did not beat the Buckeyes for the last time in 20 years now. The Wolverines' last win at Columbus was in 2000. And the last time these two teams played there, it ended controversially.

ESPN & # 39; College GameDay & # 39; is headed to Columbus for Michigan-Ohio State

"Everyone in the country knows what this week is," said Rashan Gary, of Michigan's defensive division. "We know what this week is, so we're going to attack it, it's been a whole year since we have a bad taste in our mouths."

This time, however, the stakes are high. Both teams play in the 10-1 game and will likely be ranked in the top 10 of the playoffs. A win sends a team to the December 1 Big Ten Championship match against Northwestern, and potentially a place in the playoffs to four. The loser will probably end up playing a bowling ball game on New Year's Day.

Although it's a great reward for the runner-up, Michigan thinks he's gone too far and has worked too hard for his season to go well. The team adopted Chase Winovich's "revenge" remark in a series of wins against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State – all the teams that beat the Wolverines, and some in impressive fashion , last season.

Players and coaches have spoken openly about the desire to defeat the Ohio State. But this season, everyone involved seems to be playing for something more. Yes, the wins against Badgers, Spartans and Nittany Lions are good. A win over the Buckeyes would be even better.

This business-like approach – treating every game as if it were perhaps your last, a real weekly goal – apparently ends in Columbus.

"I do not know exactly when it seemed to come into play," Harbaugh said. "But it's been around for a while, and that's really the nature of college football, at least at the start of the Big Ten season."

Michigan players unhappy with "dirty" Indiana hits

This may be the biggest difference between last year's squad and this one, the point defensive coordinator Don Brown has already referred to. When adversity hit in 2017, a young and inexperienced group struggled to withstand the heat. Some players have melted under the pressure.

This group has not shown anything like it. It may be because everyone is a year older and is more comfortable. It may be because of Shea Patterson. But three times now – once at Notre Dame, twice at Northwestern and again Saturday – Michigan bounced back after slow starts and potential losses and returned them.

Of course, the first week's loss was hurt, but the players and coaches seemed to realize that it was not the end. Instead, it served as a catalyst. For the non-conference wins Western Michigan and Southern Methodist.

For Big Ten prevails over Nebraska and Northwest, Maryland and Wisconsin. State of Michigan. Penn State. Rutgers. And now Indiana.

Come Saturday (noon, FOX), Michigan hopes to not only reverse this slip lost lost to the state of Ohio, but also enjoy this momentum for things bigger and better. Can they do it? Based on what we have seen from these two teams so far for 10 games, there is good reason to believe that Michigan can do it.

Is that ok?

"In the next game," Harbaugh said. "Let's move on to the big game, let's move on to the championship game.