November 19, 2009

David Fox
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

MORE: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Pac-10 | SEC | Others

Rodriguez has quite a few problems that need to be remedied, starting with a five-game losing streak to Ohio State.

Michigan started 4-0 this season but has not defeated a FBS opponent since September. The slide means Michigan must defeat Rose Bowl-bound Ohio State for a chance to play in the postseason for the first time under Rodriguez. A four-game losing streak has included losses to 3-7 Illinois and 4-7 Purdue. A fifth consecutive loss would wrap up Michigan's worst Big Ten finish since 1962, when the Wolverines went 1-6 in the conference.

"Obviously the last half of the year has not gone well," Rodriguez said.

Making matters worse, recent news re-opened old wounds. Rodriguez was accused at the start of the season of improper practice time beyond the NCAA limit of 20 hours a week, and an internal audit at Michigan revealed the football team did not file monthly practice logs.

Rodriguez has said he fixed the problem immediately. The practice logs are required by the university but not the NCAA.

"Because the investigation is still in the process, the NCAA won't let us comment about it other than the fact that the practice-log process - that thing was corrected as soon as I learned of the issue," Rodriguez told WBNS-FM radio in Columbus, Ohio. "And as soon as this whole thing is over, I'll be happy to discuss all the other details."

On the field, Michigan is trying to muster up something for its archrival. Defensive end Brandon Graham and offensive tackle Mark Ortmann called a players-only meeting earlier this week to reinforce the importance of the Ohio State game.

Graham told annarbor.com the meeting was to "explain to [underclassmen] if they don't know already how serious this is and what it can do for this program heading into next year."

A victory over Ohio State would be huge, for sure, but the biggest benefit might be the most obvious, Rodriguez said.

"It will allow us as coaches and players to feel good for the first time in a long time and let our seniors feel good," Rodriguez said. "It will let our guys have some enjoyment for a change."

KEY MATCHUP: Michigan defensive line vs. Ohio State's offensive line. This is more than just the Wolverines vs. Buckeyes guard Justin Boren, who earned Brandon Graham's - and a lot of other Wolverines' - ire after transferring from Michigan to Ohio State. How Boren fares against Michigan's defensive front will be worth watching for fans and officials. Michigan's defense as a whole needs to play better than it has all season to upset the Buckeyes. Michigan has allowed each of its past three opponents to top 460 yards.

TEAMS ON THE SPOT: Iowa and Penn State. The teams are seeking BCS at-large bids and are favored against Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively. Both need to make a statement to bowl officials. Both almost certainly will be in the final top 14 of the BCS standings - and therefore eligible for an at-large spot - if they win their regular-season finales. Minnesota and Michigan State are capable of pulling upsets.

NUMBERS GAME: Penn State has some of the worst special teams in the nation. The Nittany Lions rank 114th in punt-return yards allowed (16.5 yards per return), 114th in net punting (32.3 yards per punt), 113th in kickoff returns (18.4 yards) and 107th in punt returns (5.2 yards).

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"That was just an excuse about why he wanted to leave. He put that on himself. He didn't give [the coaches] a chance when they got here, and he was just so used to the Coach [Lloyd] Carr era, he didn't want to get used to nothing else." - Michigan DE Brandon Graham, on Wolverine-turned-Buckeye Justin Boren

"I'm sure I'm not very popular in the Hankwitz household. Whenever you decide to make a change like that, it's a very difficult situation. Mike is a tremendous human being, but business is business and personal is personal. And I really felt at the time I needed to make a change." - Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, on facing former defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who now is at Northwestern

"When you look at that number seven, for the people here that are spiritual in that sense, understand the Bible, you look at the number seven, it means completion. When you look at our football season right now, we have an opportunity to win seven games. That's important for this program." - Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, on getting to the seventh win of the season

"Don't make a darn bit of difference. You guys speculate all you want. If we don't beat Michigan State, none of that makes any - none of it's important. So I don't waste time with it." - Penn State coach Joe Paterno, on speculation the Nittany Lions could play in the BCS

"I'm not even thinking about it. I hope nobody else is in our camp because it doesn't matter. That's somebody else's job." - Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, on speculation the Hawkeyes could be a BCS at-large team

ETC.: Rich Rodriguez said he does not plan to make any changes on the Michigan coaching staff at the end of the season. Michigan RB Brandon Minor could miss the Ohio State game with a shoulder injury. ... Since failing to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games against Wisconsin and Purdue, Ohio State is averaging 242.3 rushing yards in its past three Big Ten games. ... Iowa junior OT Bryan Bulaga has not made a decision on whether to enter the NFL draft and has not discussed the topic with Ferentz, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. ... Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi (ankle) will not play against Minnesota but could return for a bowl game. Iowa RB Brandon Wegher (rib) could return against Minnesota after missing most of the Ohio State game with an injury. Adam Robinson (ankle) rushed for 74 yards on 20 carries in his first game back from an injury. ... Iowa had a plus-eight turnover margin in the first nine games of the season but a minus-six turnover margin in the past two games. ... Penn State WR Chaz Powell (shoulder) and backup RB Brandon Beachum (knee) likely will miss the game against Michigan State with injuries. Penn State CB A.J. Wallace is expected to play despite an apparent head injury last week. ... Penn State has been outscored 20-3 in the first quarter of the past three games but has outscored those opponents 24-13 in the second quarter. ... Minnesota expects to have starting G Matt Carufel and CB Marcus Sherels back against Iowa after they missed the South Dakota State game with injuries. ... Purdue is 10-2 against Indiana since 1997. ... This is the final week of the Big Ten schedule, but two Big Ten teams will play after Thanksgiving. Illinois will visit Cincinnati on Nov. 27 before playing host to Fresno State on Dec. 5, and Wisconsin will visit Hawaii on Dec. 5. ... Illini coach Ron Zook said Juice Williams (ankle) will start at quarterback against Cincinnati if he is healthy.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.