Michigan Wolverines Must Clinch Bowl Eligibility Against Purdue

When you think of Michigan football, playing in a bowl game is really a given. The only question is, which bowl?

For Michigan, the Rose Bowl is the ultimate prize. The next best thing would be the Capital One Bowl. The Alamo or Outback Bowls would ordinarily be considered somewhat of a disappointing year.

One thing Wolverine fans could always count on though, was Michigan playing in a bowl game even in a disappointing year. That was until last year when a 3-9 Michigan team failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in decades.

Under the current setup, a team generally needs six wins to become bowl eligible. Six wins is usually not a problem for a program like Michigan, so bowl eligibility generally isn't an issue. After starting 5-2, it didn't look like much of an issue this year either. Then came back to back blowouts against Penn State and lowly Illinois.

After such a promising start to the season, the Wolverines suddenly find themselves fighting just to qualify for any bowl. With Wisconsin and Ohio State scheduled as their final two games, a victory over the Boilermakers really seems like a must-win.

The only problem is Purdue will be just as desperate for a win. At 3-6, they cannot lose another game or their bowl hopes are done.

However, a win over Michigan can re-energize this team. Their remaining schedule will feature two winnable games in Michigan State and Indiana.

So when Michigan and Purdue get it on later today, we will likely see two teams battling to make it to the Motor City or Champs Sports Bowls.

While those may not be two of the most prestigious bowls, it doesn't take away from the importance for Michigan in qualifying for one of them.

Qualifying for any bowl game gives your program 15 extra practices. That is almost like another spring season. Those practices are huge for building a solid program.

Also, just from an appearance standpoint it is big. After failing to make a bowl game last year, qualifying for any bowl shows improvement. Not qualifying for a bowl makes it a hard sell to show this program is heading back to prominence.

Watching Michigan and Purdue fight for a minor bowl game won't get a lot of national attention. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this should be a really competitive game and one that is worth watching.

After all, the loser is pretty much done with their postseason hopes.

Who says college football needs a playoff?