Michigan fan here- but trying to put my bias aside.
I’m still on Michigan. I wonder if the line has anything to do with speculation of possible suspension on top of the fact that beaver is a tough place to play. When I look at the matchup- here’s what I see
Michigan interior defensive line may be a massive problem for Penn state. They struggled at guard against Ohio state and the deep interior line for Michigan is stronger than Ohio state in my opinion. Allar is a young QB who seemed really unsettled against Ohio state (maybe partially due to a road trip). If Michigan can create pressure up the middle with those D lineman and Michael Barrett on blitzes it will be troublesome for Penn state. Michigan secondary is strong and experienced and psu has not been explosive on offense to date. The only way opponent (albeit lesser quality) have scored on Michigan is with explosive plays.
on the other side of the ball, this will be the biggest challenge Michigan has faced as an offense. Biggest question mark I have for Michigan offensively is at tackle, can Michigan run the ball up the middle or use extra blockers to get the edge? Diaz likes to spread the defense out,- Michigan may play a lot of two TE (or bring in an extra OL) and force them to compact and I think they can have some success in the run game. They can also scheme up a bit more with McCarthys legs than they’ve had to so far, maybe they show some stuff with both corum and Edwards in the run game that they haven’t yet. I think this is a game where Michigan will look to establish the run more consistently and take some okay action shots vs just 3-5 step drops.
my thoughts are a motivated veteran Michigan team is well positioned to go on the road and cover a touchdown. I wouldn’t back Penn state under a touchdown in this spot. Again, I have a slight bias but that’s how I see it play out.
