Contenders or Pretenders?: Michigan-Notre Dame Contest Sure to Provide Answers

On campuses in South Bend and Ann Arbor, shouts of "We're back!" echo in the corridors. The Irish and Wolverines, with six and five wins, respectively, last season, claimed significant victories on opening weekend. But the question remains for each football program: Will 2010 truly be a turn-around year?

In 2009, Michigan (5-7, 1-7 in Big Ten) was more Malaise and Blue than Maize and Blue. After four straight wins to begin the season, the Wolves collapsed, dropping seven of their final eight games (lone victory in that span: Delaware State).

Last Saturday, the Wolverines looked strong in a 30-10 triumph over a solid Connecticut squad. Behind nearly 400 yards of total offense (197 rushing, 186 passing) from sophomore QB Denard Robinson, Michigan rinsed a bit of last year's sour taste from its mouth.

Robinson, more than any QB on Michigan's roster, fits the style that made head coach Rich Rodriguez successful at West Virginia. In short, Robinson is more ex-Mountaineer QB Pat White than last season's starter, Tate Forcier.

The Wolverines' defense was also a Week 1 story. After allowing nearly 36 points per game in 2009, Rodriguez's crew held UConn to just a touchdown and a field goal. Consider that Michigan allowed 10 points or less only twice last season and the progress is evident, even after only 60 minutes.

Notre Dame (6-6 last season) also appeared much improved on defense, intercepting Purdue QB Robert Marve twice. The knock on last season's Notre Dame defense was speed, or lack thereof, and tackling. While ND still didn't fly around the field like Alabama or Florida, the D didn't seem stuck in mud like it did at times in 2009. And, against the Boilermakers, they wrapped up ball carriers and limited yards after contact.

Offensively, new QB Dayne Crist played error-free football, throwing for 205 yards and no interceptions, and the running game produced a respectable 153 yards. Nothing spectacular, but much more balanced than the Jimmy Clausen-led pass-happy offense of last season.

The key question: Can Notre Dame's defense contend with Robinson's speed? If Robinson tallies another 150+ yards passing and running, ND will lose...big.  If the Irish can shut down the Wolverines' ground game and force Michigan to pass often, the odds are in their favor.

Either way, the winner will move into the contender category, while the loser will, like 2009, be a pretender.