Big 10 Game Preview: Michigan vs. Connecticut

The big game in the B1G this weekend is a match up between Michigan and Connecticut.  The Connecticut Huskies will be trying to get their season back on track while Michigan will look to continue to rise in the top 25 rankings with another victory.

The Huskies are 0-2 this season with both losses coming at home, so home-field advantage will likely not help Uconn in this game.  Michigan is 3-0 on the season with their most attention-grabbing win coming against Notre Dame.  However, last week Akron nearly upset the Wolverines, so perhaps Michigan will also be looking to get their season back on track with a big victory over an unranked team.

After getting a huge win over Notre Dame you would think the Wolverines would have a ton of momentum going into their game with Akron last weekend but that was not the case.  The game suddenly become Akron’s to lose.  The Zips only had seven less yards of offense and had a win over a ranked team within reach but just fell short 24-28.

It was not the extraordinary play of the Wolverines that caused Akron to lose either.  It was mistakes by Akron down the stretch that handed Michigan the game.  Could we see a repeat of last week with Connecticut?  If we do it will be time for Michigan fans to worry.

The biggest weakness exposed during the Wolverines near-loss to the Zips was their offensive line.  The pass rush was all in Devin Gardner’s face, forcing the potential sleeper Heisman winner to throw four interceptions.  If Gardner wants to remain in Heisman talks or even lead his team to victory, he and his O-line are going to need to pull it together.

However, Connecticut is no where near a bowl contending team at the moment.  While, the Wolverines keep their National Championship hopes alive with a 3-0 record, the Huskies have showed no signs that they have improved since last season’s 5-7 effort.   In fact, they may even be worse, especially on the defensive end of the ball.

In their last two losses the Huskies’ defense has looked horrible.  They have returned five starters, but gave up two defensive backs to the NFL, Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz, and their absence is felt.

The Huskies are now members of the ACC and will be competing with the likes of Louisville and South Florida, so they will need to start winning some ball games and a win against a top ranked B1G team is not a bad place start.

Connecticut does not have much of a chance to win according to the odds.  Bovada has them as 18 point underdogs.  The game will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.