The Wolverine Digest Pod

Michigan is a two-point underdog vs. Wisconsin, which is essentially a toss up in the world of college football. If Michigan can get a win in Camp Randall, however, it would be the first time in five tries and the first time in more than 20 years, making it a very big deal. It would also be Jim Harbaugh's first win as an underdog. Forget about the Badgers being 1-2, a win over Paul Chryst's crew would be a huge deal for the maize and blue.

How does Michigan go into Madison and win though? Can Cade McNamara do it or should Jim Harbaugh seriously consider playing JJ McCarthy? Will Michigan be able to run the ball against Wisconsin's No. 1 rush defense? There are a lot of interesting storylines heading into the week five matchup and we do our best to discuss them all on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

There's such a strange vibe around the Michigan football program right now. The Wolverines are 4-0, No. 14 in the country and running the ball as well as any team in the nation. But are they actually any good? Can they throw the ball if they need to? Is Cade McNamara a Big Ten title level quarterback? Is the defense effective or has it just been preying on inferior opponents? Those are all legitimate questions and several could be answered this weekend in Madison.

The current and long-term quarterback situation is also a hot topic. McNamara has barely thrown the ball and hasn't looked overly effective when he has. Meanwhile, the freshman phenom McCarthy is on the bench ready to be unleashed. Trotting the rook out there against the Badgers in Madison is not a good idea, but what about in a few weeks at home against Northwestern?

There are plenty of things to talk about right now and there will be even more after the game on Saturday. Michigan will either be 5-0 and marching toward a top-ten ranking or 4-1 with the same issues we've seen throughout the Jim Harbaugh era. All of those discussions and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Michigan held off Rutgers for a 20-13 win on Saturday, but didn't look impressive in doing so. The Scarlet Knights outplayed Michigan in every way except for on the scoreboard. Obviously winning is the most important stat, but there are some very real issues that need to be addressed if Michigan wants to be competitive in Madison and beyond.

Through the first three weeks, Michigan dominant running the ball but barely even tried to throw it. Against Rutgers, the running game wasn't there and Michigan didn't have another approach. Only Army, Navy and Air Force have thrown the ball less than Michigan, and they're all triple option service academies. That type of offensive scheme will not work in today's world of college football and it almost cost Michigan the game on Saturday. Now, Michigan is preparing for the meat of the schedule and it starts on Saturday at Camp Randall.

It seems like the script is easy to predict for Michigan's game against Rutgers, but you never know. Obviously last year was a knock down, drag out fight in Piscataway. It took three overtimes and, while it was on the road in an empty stadium, Michigan did eke out a win.

We also take a look at some of the other games in the Big Ten and a couple of the bigger games from the national schedule. Throw in some over/under situations for Michigan vs. Rutgers and you have the latest episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Michigan is favored by 20.5 points over Rutgers, which seems like a lot, but even those who cover the Scarlet Knights see the game getting out of hand on Saturday. Richie Schnyderite of The Knight Report breaks down exactly why Rutgers will have its hands full against the Wolverines this weekend.

We also tackle a few topics after three games and try to figure out what we're going to see as we get into Big Ten play. Toss in a discussion about the most valuable players not named Aidan Hutchinson and Blake Corum and you have another solid episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Once again Blake Corum stops by to talk after a monster game against Northern Illinois. The sophomore running back simply can't be stopped through three games and is now leading the country in rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards per game. He found the end zone three more times against the Huskies and had another long touchdown run where he erased an angle with pure speed.

We also tackle our weekly bunch of Burning Questions that included Michigan's approach against Rutgers on Saturday, ESPN's FPI, U-M's potential leading receiver and more. Obviously that means we talked about Michigan's offense and defense and we also got into exactly what Saturday will look like against the Scarlet Knights. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

We do our best to try and answer some questions about Michigan as they prepare to take on Northern Illinois. The biggest topic of discussion — Cade McNamara at quarterback and the passing attack in general. It hasn't been needed through two weeks, but is it there when it becomes a necessity? I'm not sure we'll find out against NIU, but we'll be watching for that.

We also tackle nearly 10 over/under scenarios for Michigan's game against NIU and do our best when it comes to picking some of the best games in the Big Ten and around the country. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Sophomore running back Blake Corum is becoming a regular on The Wolverine Digest Podcast because he keeps killing it on the field. He talks about that, his offensive line, his hurdle attempt and running backs coach Mike Hart on this 30-minute exclusive.

We also get into Cade McNamara's performance through two weeks and what Jim Harbaugh had to say about him. We also do our best to break down what we've seen out of Mike Macdonald's defense, which is easier said than done after two weeks.

It looked like Chris Webber was about to be welcomed back to Ann Arbor with open arms, but apparently Warde Manuel was misunderstood or spoken for altogether. It's been a weird couple of days, but the most popular member of the Fab Five should still be in line to get back in the good graces of U-M in the very near future.

Also, we talk about Michigan's night game against Washington in the form of 10 over/under questions. Some of the topics include JJ McCarthy's snap count, Blake Corum's production and Michigan's ability to take care of and take away the ball.

Finally, we do our best to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to the spreads of some of the best games around the country. All that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Apparently some fences between Chris Webber and Michigan are being mended. The near two decades of friction between Michigan and Webber looks to be coming to an end, as U-M athletic director Warde Manuel voices support for the former Wolverine. We talk about Webber, the rest of the Fab Five and what could end up happening this basketball season. We also take a deep look at the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are talented and will definitely be looking to right some wrongs this weekend. Dan Raley is posted out in Seattle and covers UW on a daily basis. Raley knows about the team and what he thinks Michigan fans should be on the look out for. Finally, we talk about Cade McNamara and JJ McCarthy. Some think a QB controversy is brewing in Ann Arbor...do we? All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.