Jim Harbaugh: Wolverines open as touchdown favorite vs MSU

“Depending on who comes out, they could have eight first-round draft picks”, one longtime National Football League scout told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King last week. What about one without a high school coach? Florida’s defense has stepped up from good to great in the past two games, generating six turnovers while the offense has not given it away once since September.

The Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines meet Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium.

The Wildcats gave two other quarterbacks a chance to play, and neither was able to do much against Michigan’s defense.

Michigan is the class of the Big Ten – right now.

Michigan (5-1, 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play) has won five consecutive games and has shut out three opponents in a row for the first time since 1980.

Jabrill Peppers said it was a “big mistake” to kick away from him and toward Chesson to open the game. “That excellence is expected from all of our coaches”. “Coach Harbaugh and his staff have done a terrific job in their first year”. “That’s the standard around here”. It seemed the Cats were finding new ways to lose, each more unbelievable than the last. After all the problems and all the issues, coming that close to beating the No. 4 team in the country showed the type of fight the team still has. The Gators’ victory over Tennessee regained a few currency when the Volunteers beat Georgia Saturday, and to date Florida is the only team to have beaten both Ole Miss and Kentucky.

It took only 13 seconds for the first score, as Jehu Chesson took the opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown. The Wolverines don’t require a star-studded offensive lineup that electrifies the crowd with periodic home-run gains; it’s simply been poetry in motion for Jim Harbaugh and Co. Less than 13 minutes into the game, it was basically over, with Michigan holding a 21-0 lead.

Yet the Buckeyes have fallen well short of preseason expectations and remain clearly off. Their saving grace: A schedule that allows them to spend the first 10 games – all against unranked opponents – tinkering in search of an identity.

For now, Michigan is rising and Ohio State is falling, the rivals on a suddenly epochal road toward November 28.

Harbaugh said getting the shutout was important to the defense. And Lewis’ interception return pushed the halftime lead to 28-0. Their total yardage was 223 below their season average.

Or how about this?

After answering awkward questions about what could happen next, Edsall was asked why he would shake hands with all his players before what may have been his final game with the Terrapins.

Vegas gives the No. 14 Wolverines more respect than pollsters; the Wolverines will be 4.5-point favorites this weekend against No. 4 Michigan State.

Like the upcoming game between the Spartans and Wolverines, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will also play one another this Saturday. It’s going to be a fight just to get back among the living with Penn State, at Iowa, Wisconsin and at Michigan State up next, but to get better, the secondary has to be stronger, the offense needs more than Perry Hills, and the team needs a whole bunch of luck. Northwestern boasted the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense entering Saturday’s game, and Michigan sprinted to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.