Nebraska Football: Wisconsin Was Big, but Michigan Game Could Loom Larger

On Saturday, most Huskers fans had their minds set on the Big Red making a huge statement in their Big Ten debut, but the Huskers laid an egg in Madison, Wis. 

Earlier Saturday, though, the Michigan Wolverines thrashed Minnesota 58-0.  Michigan was a 20-point favorite and Minnesota lost by double digits at home to North Dakota State, but any win by more than 50 points is impressive. 

Don't look now, but the Wolverines—somewhat flying under the national radar—are 5-0, ranked No. 12 in the country and could be favored in the rest of their games.

The Wisconsin game held great magnitude within the Big Ten as well as nationally, but the ugly loss does not spell the end of the Huskers' season.  An appearance in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game is still in line, provided Nebraska defeats the rest of its Big Ten foes.  Nebraska should be favored in the rest of its Big Ten games this season until, potentially, the Nov.19 showdown in Ann Arbor, Mich.  I know only only five weeks of football have been played, but at the moment, Nebraska's only competition in the Legends Division looks to be the Wolverines.

It may be too early to consider Michigan contenders, based on its recent collapses after great starts, but this year might be different.  Brady Hoke and his staff have done a tremendous job in improving last year's atrocious D.  If the Michigan defense maintains its respectability and gives the Wolverines a chances to stay in games, Hoke will have done a job similar to that of Bo Pelini in 2008.

So far, Michigan is only giving up 10.2 points per game and 316 yards per contest.  Notre Dame might be the only respectable team Michigan has played this year, but the Wolverines are squashing teams they're supposed to en route to five straight wins, unlike last year's Michigan team.  These numbers are stellar compared to the uncharacteristic defensive numbers Nebraska is surrendering this year. 

Denard Robinson is not quite on the same pace as he was last season, but he is still leading one of the most potent offenses in the Big Ten.  Much like the Husker offense, the Wolverines have looked one-dimensional at times, but "Shoelace" has proven he can make the big throw when he needs to. 

Taylor Martinez hasn't proven any such thing.

Provided the Husker D gets back on track in the coming weeks, and the Michigan D maintains its stingy play, we could be looking at a Nov. 19 matchup to decide which team represents the Legends Division in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Looking at Michigan's schedule, the Wolverines' only hiccups could be at Michigan State, at Iowa or at No. 19 Illinois.  No, Ohio State will not be a factor in the Big Ten this year.  These are all winnable games, and Michigan should be favorites in each.

Nebraska, which faces more pressure (with one conference loss already) and a tougher schedule, could be out of the race completely if it doesn't improve on both sides of the ball soon, particularly in the passing game and in the secondary.  I strongly believe Nebraska wins all of its games preceding Nov. 12, but it could be difficult with tough home games against Michigan State and an underrated Northwestern team and a meeting with Penn State in Happy Valley.

The season is still very young and there is a lot of football to be played, but I am willing to bet Michigan will not suffer the same meltdowns it has been prone to suffering recently, and Nebraska will get back on track and gain some confidence with big conference wins. These scenarios could set the stage for a "winner-takes-half" meeting at the Big House Nov. 19.