Four of those six games will be road games, to add to the degree of difficulty.So while neither Ohio State nor Penn State face Wisconsin or Minnesota, Michigan plays all four teams to effectively gut-check both division’s preseason favorites.Michigan will play two teams lower-rated teams (No. The Big Ten confirms Michigan State will head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to battle against the Cornhuskers in their final game of the season (the Spartans tenth conference matchup).
30 Minnesota). Outside of a handful of lopsided matchups, the schedule is packed with strong matchups from the opening week to November 21. Michigan State football schedule 2020 with the Big Ten only slate Michigan State Football Schedule 2020 Sept. 5 Minnesota Sept. 12 at Maryland Sept. 19 Northwestern Sept. 26 at Penn State Oct. 3 at… Realistically, the Wolverines will know if they’re contenders or pretenders well before October this season, as they are scheduled to play the Golden Gophers and Nittany Lions before many power-five teams have even played a game this fall.Both teams may be without their best players in Rashod Bateman and Micah Parsons, but remain talented teams with Big Ten title hopes. Second, it takes some pressure off of the both teams to define the entire season by that one game.Still, it will be hard for that game to not produce amplified emotions for both teams. Michigan Football Schedule 2020 Sept. 5 Purdue Sept. 12 at Minnesota Sept. 19 Penn State Sept. 26 at Rutgers Oct. 3 Michigan State Oct. 10 OPEN DATE Oct. 17 at Indiana Oct. 24 at Ohio State Oct. 31 Wisconsin
79 Maryland and No. Following the release of the Michigan football team's 2020 schedule, 247Sports Michigan beat writer Zach Shaw broke down five thoughts on the new slate. See what he had to say below.While the Wolverines’ initial season-opener at Washington is no longer on the schedule, Michigan’s schedule still will rank among the toughest in the nation. More importantly, the logistics of the schedule — one that even includes shared bye weeks designed to allow opportunities for makeup games and stated flexibility on the championship game — helps mitigate the unraveling that could occur if teams have to endure an outbreak.That isn’t to guarantee anything about the season or to suggest that every situation is prepared for — COVID-19 has shown how quickly it can derail even the best-laid plans — but the Big Ten’s release and additional protocols checked a lot of boxes and seemed grounded overall.In the end, the 2020 season has a potential to be exceptional for the Big Ten. 25 Northwestern and No. And with Wisconsin coming to Ann Arbor the week after, the Wolverines will face a mental hurdle — win or lose — in recalibrating after they face the Buckeyes.For Michigan, October 24 is probably an optimal time to face Ohio State, as the Buckeyes return plenty in their passing attack and are arguably closer to their finished product now than the Wolverines are.Obviously, Michigan’s opponents were the same initial nine league foes, with an added trip to Northwestern. 4 Wisconsin and No. The league isn’t messing around with non-conference games, trying to implement a full season or unproductive optimism. Michigan is a part of several of those, and as tough as the schedule is, the Wolverines have a chance to play in a number of high-intensity heavyweight bouts.It should be fun, and let’s hope we get to see it all unfold. For one, if the season ends up being cancelled early due to rising cases or infections within teams, then The Game has a likelier chance of happening. Between Illinois’ returning talent and moment, Nebraska’s ceiling and Iowa’s floor and all four schools routinely out-recruiting the Wildcats, Northwestern may be a beneficial matchup for the Wolverines even beyond it being the closest of the four options georgraphically.All told, the Big Ten’s efforts this summer have been as thought-out as any conference’s so far. 2 Ohio State, No.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. The Wildcats are a hard team to figure out; they added quarterback Peyton Ramsey and have standouts in Rashawn Slater, Blake Gallagher Paddy Fisher and Isaiah Bowser and always seem to play Michigan close, but also went 1-8 in Big Ten play last season.Ultimately, Northwestern is probably the easiest add of all four of Michigan’s potential opponents. Michigan Football’s tentative schedule announced for 2020 season New, 39 comments Now we’ll see if they actually wind up playing it. 19 in ESPN’s FPI, but are given just a 51.5-percent chance to win six games this season.In addition to a tough schedule overall, the Wolverines will be tested in tougher and earlier fashion than before in recent memory. 7 Penn State) and three more teams in the top 30 (No. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Wolverines will face three preseason top-10 teams (No. The additional flexibility will hopefully combat any unforeseen circumstances.Tell us what you think in the comment section below.Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? 23 Indiana, No. The most significant changes for Michigan State came in the form of the Michigan and Indiana contests.Both locations have flipped, and the Spartans will now travel to Ann Arbor instead of playing the Wolverines in East Lansing. Following the release of the Michigan football team's 2020 schedule, 247Sports Michigan beat writer Zach Shaw broke down five thoughts on the new slate. The Big Ten officially released their updated college football schedule following a decision to switch to It's a 10-game schedule involving a handful of changes; however, the Big Ten wants to kick off the week of September 3 as originally planned.