THE Game Will Define Michigan's Season (Ranking The Rest)
No. 1 at Ohio State - Nov. 28: No one will expect Michigan to win, not even the majority of its fan base. Jim Harbaugh is already 0-5 against the Buckeyes, but 0-6? Unfathomable. If the Wolverines don't win one of the next two against OSU, it will likely tip the fan base decidedly against Harbaugh and his future in Ann Arbor, but a victory (essentially an unexpected one) could catapult the Maize and Blue into the playoffs and into that next stratosphere the program has so desperately been trying to reach since 2015.
No. 2 Wisconsin - Sept. 26: There's no sugarcoating last year's trip to Madison - Michigan got trounced. Other than Ohio State, U-M had not suffered a beating like that since Oregon flattened Michigan at The Big House in 2007. The Badgers rushed for 359 yards, 6.3 yards per carry and five touchdowns.
A year ago, Michigan was so desperate at defensive tackle that undersized fullback convert Ben Mason got significant run against Wisconsin. This early-season matchup is the moment for second-year DTs Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith, and redshirt junior Donovan Jeter, to prove this year will be different.
No. 3 at Washington - Sept. 5: If this game gets played, and it's a big 'if', the Maize and Blue will likely have a chance to earn an elusive Top 25 road win (Harbaugh is just 1-7 against ranked teams on the road), opening the season stronger and more convincingly than U-M did at Notre Dame in 2018.
It is also the stage to showcase a brand-new quarterback, one Michigan fans hope finally plays at the elite level necessary to compete for championships.
No. 4 Penn State Oct. 3: Michigan was a fourth-down end-zone drop away from a miraculous comeback in Beaver Stadium a year ago, and when these two teams meet, the Wolverines (and junior receiver Ronnie Bell) will be looking for revenge. One of these two has finished runner-up to Ohio State in the Big Ten East four of the last five years (with PSU winning the East in 2016), and the matchup will add further fuel to the fire of which coach is better - Harbaugh or the Nittany Lions' Jim Franklin.
More importantly, it likely creates winner-takes-all meetings with Ohio State Oct. 24 (for Penn State) and Nov. 28 (for Michigan).
No. 5 at Michigan State Oct. 10: Will Michigan deliver a bloodbath in the opening salvo of the Mel Tucker era or will the energy and excitement of Tucker give the Spartans a fighting chance? Harbaugh is 3-2 against MSU and many think the Wolverines are on the precipice of a dominant run against Michigan State. Despite being on the road, Michigan should hold every advantage when these two meet and will look to further pull away from its in-state rival.
How would you rank Michigan's defining games in 2020? Check out how U-M fans are voting on Twitter and let us know in the comments.
