The Michigan Wolverines are finally looking like playoff contenders after the 2023 season. Fresh off a 30-27 win against Nebraska, they are standing firm in the league with a 3-1 record. Now, coming off a bye week, Sherrone Moore’s team is all ready to take over the Badgers on their home ground. Playing at home already gives them an upper hand in this game, as this marks their first game since 2021.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has had a bumpier ride. The Badgers sit at 2-2 after a 27-10 loss to Maryland, and their form has been inconsistent under head coach Luke Fickell, who sits at 15-15 since taking over in 2023. Adding to the excitement, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff will be on site, and Fox is bringing out its A-team for this one. Gus Johnson will handle play-by-play duties, with Joel Klatt in the booth as lead analyst. With them, there will be Patrick Herb on the sidelines giving all the updates live from the ground.

Well, Joel Klatt is an analyst for Fox Sports who also has a deep-rooted history with football, as he played as QB1 for three years in Colorado. Being a Colorado native and his father, Gary Klatt’s head coaching history with the Buffs made them his ultimate destination, but his career ended on a weird note after suffering a concussion. But even if he had to leave the game, the game never left him, and now he’s out there using his game knowledge to entertain fans.

Then there’s Gus Johnson, who’s also a lead play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports; before working with Fox, he was at CBS Sports. He is also seen at NBA playoff games and on NBA TV. In his college days, he even hosted ESPN’s Black College Sports Day in 1991. No wonder Fox chose two of its best commentators for this game!

The announcers are ready to step up the pace of the game, but it looks like Michigan already has a plan ready to hand a loss to Wisconsin.

Michigan’s new strategy for winning

Sherrone Moore is finally back on the sidelines following his two-game suspension because of the sign-stealing scandal. Now he and his staff are making new strategies to make this season a success. Their move? Relying on Bryce Underwood’s running game. They did avoid it because of depth concerns after Mikey Kenne’s injury and Jadyn Davis’s unproven status.

But it looks like now they are not playing on the back foot anymore! Underwood has shown immense rushing ability with an average of 7.7 yards per carry and is currently second on the team in rushing TDs. His rushing ability has become a threat to other teams’ defenses and was a key factor in the team’s success in the past two weeks.

In the last two weeks, Michigan’s offense has recorded over 1000 yards and scored 30+ points back-to-back for the first time since 2023. Looks like a championship title might be waiting for them. Even Sherrone Moore doubles down on this, stating: “We’re going to let him play and play free and play loose and have fun doing it,” Moore said. “Whenever he touches the football field or gets in the facility, there’s always a smile on his face, and there’s always a glimmer in his eye of wanting to get better at football. He’s starting to do that more and more.”

Now Michigan enters a tough stretch of the season against Wisconsin, USC, Washington, and Michigan State, and their desire to test Underwood’s dual ability might decide their future this season. Let’s wait and see if this works against the Badgers or not!