College football Week 7: 5 bold predictions sure to come true

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the third quarter of the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 06: Michigan Wolverines quarterback Shea Patterson (2) throws a pass during a game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan Wolverines (15) on October 6, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Shea Patterson throws for 300 yards, 3 touchdowns in win

When Shea Patterson announced his transfer to the Michigan Wolverines and was then named the starting quarterback for the 2018 season, they hype train started rolling in a big way. A highly touted recruit that put up big numbers while healthy at Ole Miss, it seemed as if Jim Harbaugh finally was going to have a quarterback worth his salt and we’d see immediate success from Michigan’s passing attack.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to that hot of a start for Patterson with the Wolverines. Through his first five starts with Michigans, he failed to throw for more than 237 yards and failed to even eclipse 150 yards twice. While that’s due in part to the success of the run game, it was still a stark contrast to what some expected from Patterson upon his arrival. Last week, however, we caught a glimpse of something closer to that.

In a win against Maryland, Patterson was big time as he came up with his biggest passing performance of the season. The quarterback finished going 19-of-27 for 282 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Now, I expect that to continue this week as the Wolverines welcome the Wisconsin Badgers for a top-25 matchup in Ann Arbor.

Over the past two weeks, one thing that has been exposed is the Wisconsin pass defense, particularly in regards to stopping big plays. Iowa’s Nate Stanley threw for 256 yards with T.J. Hockenson going for three catches and 125 yards. Meanwhile, Adrian Martinez of Nebraska threw for 384 yards while JD Spielman had 209 yards and a touchdown on nine catches.

I expect Patterson to be able to find the likes of Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins for big plays and big tight end Zach Gentry consistently through this game. And in doing so, Patterson will notch his first 300-yard outing en route to a big win for the Wolverines.

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