Illinois 21, Michigan 7: Untenable
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So here we are. After a 21-7 loss to Illinois — off a bye week, no less — Michigan, a school with one Big Ten loss in 30 Big Ten games from 2021-2023 (counting the three straight Big Ten Championship Games the program won in the process), just lost its second straight conference game in 2024. And this is still with its three toughest conference games still yet to come in the form of No. 1 Oregon, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 13 Indiana. And a rivalry game up next.
The first half of the season was shaky at best. But Saturday’s game, which presented Michigan the opportunity to pick up a second deceptive “ranked win” that could still keep most of its 2024 goals alive and well, was straight-up ugly. The scariest part? This may not be rock bottom yet.
And now, for the first time in more than 50 editions of the AP poll, Michigan is not ranked. Not even receiving a single vote, actually.
So what comes next? And is anything salvageable at this point? Let’s dig deep after the paywall jump 👇.
