Ranking Michigan football's final 3 games by difficulty

No. 21 Michigan football sits at 7-2 as the Wolverines will prepare for the final stretch of their season following their second bye week when Sherrone Moore's team takes at Northwestern on Nov. 15 at Wrigley Field.

If the Wolverines can win their final three games, they will put themselves in a good position to be one of the 12 teams selected to compete in the College Football Playoff in December. But is that feasible?

Let's break down Michigan's final three opponents and rank them from most to least difficult.

Most difficult opponent remaining

If you were to ask Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the easiest game remaining on Michigan's schedule as the Wolverines have beaten their rival into oblivion for four consecutive seasons.

All trolling aside. Ryan Day's team is obviously the toughest challenge Michigan will face the rest of the way, as OSU is ranked as the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.

The Buckeyes' defense has been the best in the nation and is loaded with playmakers and experience on all three levels, led by defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who has put the players in position to be elite on that side of the ball.

On offense, QB Julian Sayin has come into his own and is playing at a high level, with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate leading the way on the receiving end of his passes with 16 touchdown receptions between the two.

However, Michigan running back Jordan Marshall is the type of back who could give the interior of the Buckeyes' defensive line trouble as his style of being a physical runner is one Day's teams has struggled with over the past few years.

Bo Jackson has been impressive in the run game for the Buckeyes and he will have to bring his best against Michigan's front. The winner of the rushing yardage has won The Game 23 consecutive times, and there's no reason to believe this game would be any different.

Second most difficult opponent remaining

Deciding the second-toughest game left on Michigan's schedule is a tough call between Maryland and Northwestern, but I would have to give a slight edge to Maryland due to Mike Lockley's team's playmaking ability on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Malik Washington has shown the ability to be dynamic at points this season and has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards with 12 touchdown passes, and can also use his legs to get out of pressure when called upon.

Receiver Shaleak Knotts has been a reliable receiver for Washington with 421 receiving yards and five touchdowns in eight games for the Terrapins. However, Maryland's offensive attack essentially stops there as they have been dreadful at running the ball with any sort of consistency, which has played a big part in them being unable to hold onto leads late in games.

On defense, Maryland hasn't been great at stopping the run, and to beat the Wolverines, that has to be a strength of your team. They rank 70th in yards allowed per rush, which is better than the Wildcats by 18 spots.

Overall, this is a team Michigan should beat on the road, but Maryland has had stretches of playing good football this season, and aside from the Indiana game last weekend, has had various fourth quarter leads and just haven't been able to finish games. On a good day where they have some things go right for them, they can be dangerous and capable of pulling off an upset.

'Easiest' opponent remaining

By no means do I think the Northwestern game at Wrigley will be an easy win for the Wolverines, especially if they continue to play the same way on offense as they did against MSU and Purdue. However, I do think it will be the least difficult, but not by a huge margin to Maryland.

Offensively, Northwestern is a bit of an inverse to Maryland, while having a stronger rushing than passing attack, with Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II both averaging nearly five yards per carry on the ground.

However, if the Wolverines can contain the Wildcat run game, which they have been able to do against most of the teams they have played, it will put QB Preston Stone into tough situations on third downs. Stone has been prone to turning the ball over this season with nine interceptions, and Michigan has been good on defense at taking the ball away.

The more problematic area for Northwestern against Michigan though will be whether it can stop Jordan Marshall and the Wolverine ground attack. The Wildcats are 89th in the nation in yards per rush attempt allowed, which simply won't be good enough to contain an elite Wolverine ground game.

David Braun's team, though, played very well in their game at Penn State on Oct. 11 in the team's signature win, and overall, the Wildcats have won four of five. On Oct. 18, Northwestern shut out Purdue before falling on the road to Nebraska last week in a game they had a chance to win. In essence, Michigan needs to be ready to play against a scrappy Wildcats team that is capable of doing damage.

Most difficult opponent remaining

Second most difficult opponent remaining

'Easiest' opponent remaining

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