Michigan's Week 8 Game Against Ohio State Is Top Priority
Now that the Big Ten football schedule is public, Michigan is set to begin its season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Purdue at home. This will be the first game in a conference-only, 10-game schedule in 2020, though the Big Ten Championship game is tabbed for Dec. 5.
In order to prepare for week one, U-M is headed back to practice on Friday, but that is not the case of every school in the conference. For instance, Ohio State and Illinois will open their seasons on Thursday, Sept. 3, so those two programs can begin training camp tomorrow.
Bye week alignment
Although that bit of variance exists, all 14 teams throughout the conference will experience some continuity if the season stays on schedule. This year, every team will take its first bye between the weeks of five and seven. Then, teams in the Big Ten East will have a bye during week 11, and every Big Ten West program will have its second bye during week 10 (except for Illinois). Finally, every team has a bye for week 13 before the Big Ten Championship game.
By sticking to that format, every Big Ten team will have a bye after roughly a month and then one more bye week towards the end of the season. If games need to be shuffled due to COVID-19 outbreaks, this should allow for that flexibility.
As it pertains to the Michigan and Ohio State week eight matchup on Oct. 24, the two teams will have two potential makeup dates built into the schedule should that situation arise. This caveat could allow for The Game to be played during week 13, once again taking its rightful spot as the last conference game for either team.
Player reactions
Now that news of the revised 2020 football schedule has trickled out, several Michigan players tweeted out their quick takes on the coming season, such as Cameron McGrone:
Giles Jackson:
Jalen Mayfield:
As Mayfield pointed out, Michigan's Oct. 24 game against Ohio State is the most important contest this season. Jim Harbaugh is looking for his first win against OSU, and the Wolverines will need to travel to Columbus this year to make that happen.
Much like any other year, road games will be of the utmost importance if U-M is looking to earn a trip to the Big Ten Championship game. Throughout Harbaugh's time at Michigan, the Wolverines are six games above .500 at 15-9, and two of the team's toughest matchups of the season (Minnesota and Ohio State) will come on the road. To top it off, the Wolverines will also play three of their last five games away from Michigan Stadium.
Whether the season is conference-only or not, a victory against Ohio State would likely paint the year a relative success to many.
What is the biggest takeaway from Michigan's new 2020 schedule in your eyes? Is this the year that U-M sneaks up on OSU and pulls off a victory in Columbus? Let us know!
