The Michigan Wolverines are officially out of the race for the Big Ten East division with losses to both Michigan State and Penn State, and that probably means a very angry trouncing for Rutgers Saturday. The teams meet at noon ET on BTN (live stream it on BTN2Go.com).
Rutgers vs. Michigan 2017 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and how to watch online
Neither team is competing for the top of the Big Ten East, but there’s still a lot of pride on the line.
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Despite having one of the best defenses in the country, Michigan not only couldn’t stop Trace McSorley or Saquon Barkley last week, but the Wolverines offense behind John O’Korn could not get anything going. Once again this week, they’ll face an upward-trending defense led by Rutgers head coach Chris Ash, and could continue to struggle to put points on the board.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
Rutgers vs. Michigan news:
- 10 things to know heading into this Week 9 matchup.
- Michigan has struggled in their primetime contests and doesn’t look ready to play on the big stage.
- Minimizing mistakes and creating a couple big play opportunities allowed Rutgers to get the surprising upset over an up-and-coming Purdue team last week, as Ash noted.
“Obviously this is a first, being in here, back-to-back victories, so it’s a good feeling. Really excited about our players. Again, we didn’t play a great game, but we made the plays we needed to on defense and special teams to win the game, and it’s okay to win games like that. But it wasn’t pretty.”
- Harbaugh spoke to the media this week and talked about his approach to the remainder of the season.
“A team that goes through this understands it can have a great opportunity and understanding where it needs to be and the response that comes as coaches, as players. When the going get tough, the tough get going. We control a lot, and that’s the other thing I want them to understand.”
Is there a Jim Harbaugh problem at Michigan?
After failing to make the kind of dent in the conference Michigan fans had hoped, Harbaugh is now among the “coaches on the hot set” discussion. (Seriously.) A graphic was making the rounds on Twitter comparing the production of Harbaugh to Butch Jones at Tennessee. It’s a pretty lazy comparison, relying on stats alone to tell a story, but the fact that some Wolverines fans are starting to abandon “the process” is not a good sign for the future of the ‘Michigan Man’ at the college football level.
Rutgers vs. Michigan prediction:
The Wolverines get the win, because they’re playing Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights might have an improved defense under Ash, but their offense will fall flat against the top-tier talent from Michigan.
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