Jim Harbaugh is facing a must-win game when Michigan hosts Wisconsin on Saturday night in the Big House.
Michigan is riding a five-game winning streak into Saturday night’s Big Ten crossover showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers. This is a game they need to win to continue to control their own destiny in the Big Ten, but it’s so much more than that. This is a must-win game for Jim Harbaugh who has to show he can beat a ranked opponent.
Harbaugh and Michigan have struggled mightily to beat ranked teams since he took over the job at his alma mater. The Wolverines are 0-17 in their last 17 road games against ranked teams. Moreover, Harbaugh is 1-6 against Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame which are the three teams that Michigan has to beat every single time to satisfy the fans of the Maize and Blue.
Simply put, it just hasn’t been good enough.
The good thing for Michigan’s game against Wisconsin is they get Jonathan Taylor and the Badgers in their stadium where 100,000-plus will be yelling and screaming for the Wolverines to pick up the win.
This is a game that Harbaugh needs to get the monkey off his back that he can’t win the big game, for whatever reason. This is more than just a mid-October game against a good Big Ten team. This is a game that can have ramifications for the rest of the season. A win against Wisconsin would give Michigan the confidence they need when they take on Michigan State, Penn State and most importantly when they take on Ohio State in The Game to close out the regular season.
A loss to Wisconsin will end any shot they have at making the College Football Playoff and could result in a deflated locker room that still has to get up for three gigantic games left on their schedule in the next month and a half.
This isn’t the case of a must-win for a team in a Game 7 situation, but it’s as close as you can get to it on Oct. 13 in college football.