In only two years, Brady Hoke has seemingly rebuilt this Michigan Wolverines defense and brought the team from being historically bad to one of the Big Ten's best. And while this year hasn't gone exactly as planned in the wins department, Michigan is still alive for a spot in the Big Ten Championship and perhaps a Rose Bowl visit as well.

To do this, the Wolverines will need some help.

They need Nebraska to lose, and they also need to take care of their own business. Doing so against an always-motivated Northwestern team coming off a bye will be no easy task in Week 11.

Pat Fitzgerald has the Cats rolling, and while they have struggles on the defensive side of the football, they have some explosiveness and creativity on offense that can be difficult to bottle up.