Can college football get any better when you have two of the all-time greatest football teams collide on a Saturday afternoon?
The Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish may not have a long tradition against one another, but that hasn’t diminished the importance of this game to both teams.
For instance, what college football fan can forget last year’s epic showdown in Ann Arbor?
A lot has changed since that day. In short, things continued on a downward trend for the Fighting Irish and the same would begin for the Wolverines a few weeks later.
And despite all the negativity that Michigan has endured over the past two seasons, I’m still feeling optimistic about this season.
As far as the game itself, I expect a hard fought, high scoring affair. Notre Dame’s Dayne Crist, a junior quarterback has a big arm and he’ll have plenty of options to throw to during the game.
The Irish boast a good core of running backs, but the most widely used will likely be senior, Armando Allen, a dynamic runner who can use his speed to get to the corner.
The Wolverines boast a team that has another year under Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, but are still fairly young. Denard Robinson has taken the reins as the starting quarterback this year, but don’t be surprised to still see Tate Forcier in the game. The defense isn’t the same defense that most Michigan fans are used to, especially with the departures of Brandon Graham and Donovan Warren. The defensive line will be its strongest group with Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen.
In the end, I think the game will come down to Michigan’s experience in Rodriguez’s offense. Notre Dame is just getting started in the Brian Kelly era and I think the task of taking down a determined Wolverines team will prove too much.
That’s not to say I don’t expect to see a focused Fighting Irish team in South Bend on Sept. 11.
Either way, I expect a high scoring game that will likely have the college football world tuned in as both teams look to continue writing another chapter in the Michigan-Notre Dame Rivalry.
The Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish may not have a long tradition against one another, but that hasn’t diminished the importance of this game to both teams.
For instance, what college football fan can forget last year’s epic showdown in Ann Arbor?
A lot has changed since that day. In short, things continued on a downward trend for the Fighting Irish and the same would begin for the Wolverines a few weeks later.
And despite all the negativity that Michigan has endured over the past two seasons, I’m still feeling optimistic about this season.
As far as the game itself, I expect a hard fought, high scoring affair. Notre Dame’s Dayne Crist, a junior quarterback has a big arm and he’ll have plenty of options to throw to during the game.
The Irish boast a good core of running backs, but the most widely used will likely be senior, Armando Allen, a dynamic runner who can use his speed to get to the corner.
The Wolverines boast a team that has another year under Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, but are still fairly young. Denard Robinson has taken the reins as the starting quarterback this year, but don’t be surprised to still see Tate Forcier in the game. The defense isn’t the same defense that most Michigan fans are used to, especially with the departures of Brandon Graham and Donovan Warren. The defensive line will be its strongest group with Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen.
In the end, I think the game will come down to Michigan’s experience in Rodriguez’s offense. Notre Dame is just getting started in the Brian Kelly era and I think the task of taking down a determined Wolverines team will prove too much.
That’s not to say I don’t expect to see a focused Fighting Irish team in South Bend on Sept. 11.
Either way, I expect a high scoring game that will likely have the college football world tuned in as both teams look to continue writing another chapter in the Michigan-Notre Dame Rivalry.