College Football Week 7 Preview: How Come Michigan Gets 2 Good Teams?

#7 Michigan State @ #12 Michigan

(This is Fany Pack's Fany Pick of the Week.)

Magic falls victim to the heated rivalry

My personal most hyped game for Saturday is Michigan State vs. Michigan. I know LSU's inevitable thumping of Florida excites some people in SEC country, but this is the game I've been waiting for all season. And after watching both teams for the past couple months and trying to figure out which one presents the biggest challenge for the Buckeyes, all I can say is "Thank goodness they play each other first."

Because this game could be brutal. 

Home team Michigan has been gaining momentum like crazy this season season and is on a three-game shutout streak. The Wolverines have arguably the best defense in the country and plenty of confidence under Jim "Quick Results" Harbaugh. They come into the game 5-1, but their loss to now-#4 Utah by a touchdown speaks better for them than any of Michigan State's wins. (I do give the Spartans props for scheduling Oregon and playing so well against the Ducks. It looked like a marquee win. It's not their fault Oregon sucks now.) Most analysts are picking the Wolverines to win. Really, Michigan's only weak spot is its lackluster offense, particularly its quarterback, Jake Rudock. Rudock's not so good at the deep passes, so that's an area in which MSU could try to take advantage.

But Michigan State's hope for winning really rests on quarterback Connor Cook. Cook is a fifth-year senior and having his best season yet, but he's inconsistent. That being said, if he has a great game, I think Michigan State has a chance, because he can be really impressive, particularly at the long throwing game with which Michigan struggles. But without him having a standout day, Sparty is toast. They haven't played in top form for the past few games now, including giving Rutgers a chance to win at the end last week.

On Saturday, we'll get to find out who the best team in Michigan is, and I think it's going to be the Wolverines.

Michigan 24 - Michigan State 10

College Football Week 6 Preview:

#3 Baylor @ Kansas
Baylor 52 - Kansas 10


#2 TCU @ Kansas State
TCU 30 - Kansas State 28


#23 California @ #5 Utah
California 31 - Utah 34


#19 Georgia @ Tennessee
Georgia 21 - Tennessee 24


#13 Northwestern @ #18 Michigan

(This is Fany Pack's Fany Pick of the Week.)

I love that this game is actually hype-able. Seriously, who'd have thought Northwestern would be ranked so high this season? And a strong Michigan team just makes college football better, both from a Big 10 perspective and as a whole. It's the kind of matchup in which I'm sad somebody has to lose. But alas, ties are boring, so playing favorites, I'll pick Michigan to take this one.

Both the Wolverines and the Wildcats are carried by their defense this year. They are No. 2 and No. 1 in scoring defenses in the nation, respectively. I've already heard this game referred to as both "an epic defensive struggle" and a "slobberknocker." No, really. 

Northwestern desperately wants a win over Michigan, after just barely losing to them in their last three meetings. Will the Wildcats get their wish? Nah, probably not. 

Michigan has a 70 percent chance of winning, and it's pretty easy to see why. The Wolverines have the better overall defense, allowing only two touchdowns since their loss week 1. They have a lot of confidence, coming off two shutouts (not that the last one in particular was all that big of a feat). Their only loss this season was to now-No. 5 Utah by a touchdown. And they're playing at home Saturday. Really, the only thing working against them right now is their offense, which is lukewarm at best. If they can keep possession of the damn ball, they should be fine. 

Michigan 24 - Northwestern 14