Michigan vs Northwestern Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Nov 20, 2024 9:09 PM ET

It’s late November and Michigan is playing for its bowl life.

The defending national champion lost two straight and four of its last five, and if it somehow biffs the home finale against Northwestern, it will need to win at Ohio State - which would mean far more than any bowl game - to get to six wins and the swag bag.

Northwestern is still fighting for six and a bowl, too, after getting run over by the Buckeyes in Wrigley Field last week. It goes to Ann Arbor and then hosts Illinois to close out the regular season after losing three of its last four games.

Michigan vs Northwestern: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
How To Watch: FS1
Venue: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Teams: Michigan (5-5), Northwestern (4-6)
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Why Northwestern Will Win

You know that offense thing the kids are all into nowadays? Michigan has stopped doing that.

The defense is still solid - it held up well against Indiana two weeks ago - but the O hasn’t hit 300 yards in five of its last six games. The ground attack lost its mojo with defenses loading up with no fear of a Wolverine passing game.

And that’s exactly what Northwestern needs. The defense is fine. It needs the score to stay low, and it needs to keep everything in range and then hope for the big break to come its way. The team is 0-4 then allowing more than 355 yards and 4-2 when giving up fewer.

But …

Michigan only got past 355 yards once.

Why Michigan Will Win

Michigan’s offense looks like the Greatest Show On Turf compared to Northwestern’s attack.

There were big games here and there against Eastern Illinois, Purdue, and in an outlier against Indiana, but forget getting to 300 yards of total O. It hasn’t hit 260 yards in four of the last seven games.

It’s not going to run even a little bit on the Wolverines.

This might not be the run defense of last year, but it’s still the tenth-best in America. The team is 4-1 when failing to give up 100 yards, and 1-4 when it allows more.

Northwestern averages 115 yards per game on the ground and didn’t get to the 100-yard mark five times.

Michigan vs Northwestern: Who Will Win?

Even with the great defense, Michigan has been shockingly bad at coming up with third down stops. That’s okay, because Northwestern is totally miserable at moving the chains, and it’s not about to become good at it now.

It won’t be anything pretty, but Michigan fans will take it. Get in, D up, and it’s on to Columbus.