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Michigan Football Bowl Game Scenarios: Week 13 Edition

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By @MattSamFolk

Brady Hoke

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

It has been a chaotic season in Ann Arbor. Michigan has struggled on the field, had a controversial player safety incident and lost embattled AD Dave Brandon. Things are looking bleak for Brady Hoke to remain the head coach beyond this season. The Wolverines’ 2-4 start was one of the worst in school history, yet a weak schedule and solid defense has brought Michigan to the brink of a bowl game at 5-5.

Michigan sits at 111th in the country in scoring offense (20.7 PPG) entering a home tilt with Maryland. The Terps sit at 6-4 in their inaugural Big Ten season with a home date against “rival” Rutgers to finish the season. A win for Maryland would position Randy Edsall and the Terps well to push into the “Tier Two” of Big Ten bowl games. The Wolverines will be scrapping for a bid on senior day with conference favorite and arch-rival Ohio State looming.

Desperation and defense will be Michigan’s only chance on Saturday. The Maryland offense has struggled against the better defenses in the Big Ten, creating just 42 points in the last three games. Michigan has proven the ability to win ugly against middling competition, and it should be another sloppy game in Michigan Stadium. Escape, and the Wolverines will hold onto a slim chance at a “Tier Two” bowl appearance themselves.

More likely, the Wolverines will be out of “The Game” early in Columbus, and the result against Maryland would decide Michigan’s bowl eligibility. A 6-6 season would almost certainly put Michigan into “Tier Three” of the Big Ten pecking order. The Big Ten conference would probably place the Wolverines into the local Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, not exactly the destination event fans expected before the season.

The possibility remains, however unlikely, that Michigan finds a way to upset Ohio State. Perhaps the firing of Hoke in the week leading up to the game rallies the team around their leader in his final game at the helm. A 7-5 record would vault Michigan into “Tier Two” of the Big Ten’s slate, where a Foster Farms Bowl bid may be most likely. Penn State and perhaps Rutgers, if they can reach seven wins, may be the more likely teams in the Pinstripe Bowl. Michigan has been to the TaxSlayer Bowl more recently than Minnesota or Iowa, while Maryland could be in line with a seventh win against Rutgers.

Resting at 5-5 following a needed bye week, Michigan is a slight home favorite against Maryland and a heavy road underdog to Ohio State. The rest of the conference has some jockeying for position that could affect Michigan’s bowl destination, but the Wolverines mostly have three clear paths. Unfortunately for Hoke’s team, football could end in November in Ann Arbor.

Lose to Maryland and Ohio State: No bowl

Split against Maryland and Ohio State: Quick Lane Bowl or Heart of Dallas Bowl

Beat Maryland and Ohio State: Pinstripe Bowl, TaxSlayer Bowl or Foster Farms Bowl

Projection: Quick Lane Bowl vs. North Carolina (ACC No. 9)

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