The Michigan Wolverines travel all the way to the West Coast for a conference bout against the Oregon Ducks (3:30 p.m., FS1). In this week’s Roundtable, Maize n Brew staff members give some takeaways from last week’s game against MSU, some bold predictions for tomorrow’s game and more!
As always, let’s reflect on last week’s game. Provide any takeaways you had from the MSU game.
Von: My takeaway is that this coaching staff should consider themselves lucky to still have jobs here. If it weren’t for
Warde Manuel resigning at the end of the year, as well as the university waiting for the president to begin her term next month, Kyle Whittingham may have been the one fired, not just Jason Beck. That game last weekend was as embarrassing a loss as I remember my time being on this planet, and that includes the dreaded 2020 season, App State, and everything to do with Rich Rod and Brady Hoke. It was truly that bad.
Kellen:
Matt: It’s over. Any shred of hope we had about the Whittingham era is now gone. To be incapable of scoring points on THAT Michigan State defense missing half its starters until garbage time is unacceptable. To then throw the players under the bus in the postgame press conference is an abomination. When futility stats that have existed for 90+ years are being broken, action has to be taken.
Nick: Woof.
Grace: Yikes! What a rough watch. It’s disappointing and I feel for guys that have stuck with Michigan. Rod Moore, Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill come to mind. While Kyle Whittingham doesn’t seem to understand what this school is about, I think those guys do and this is just a terrible way for this season to continue.
Scotty: My biggest takeaway is that we have officially hit rock bottom. What an embarrassing loss.
Draw a line in the sand — do you want this coaching staff back next year? If you would keep some coaches but make changes, explain what you would do.
Von: The only one I would entertain coming back is Jay Hill — he has been Harry Houdini in a season otherwise devoid of magic. So yes, I’d try and keep Hill around, but if the only way to guarantee Whittingham isn’t back next year is if Hill can’t come back, I’d be completely fine with it. I would do my best to hire away Bob Chesney from UCLA, knowing that is unlikely to happen. If he says no, open up the search even more and hope to God someone better is out there.
Kellen: I’d keep Jay Hill, but everyone else can go. It took Whittingham too long to care to make a change like he did on Sunday. There’s no sense of urgency.
Matt: I would love to keep Jay Hill and some of the defensive staff. However, I want Whittingham and the entire offensive staff gone so badly that I would be willing to sacrifice the entire staff in order to start over. Even if the offense does get better under interim coordinator Jim Harding, Whittingham cannot be back under any circumstances or else the program will fall even further into disarray.
Nick: Jay Hill and anyone he wants to keep from the defensive staff should be the only coaches that stick around next year. Kyle Whittingham clearly is asleep at the wheel and isn’t the man for the job that we thought he would be when he was first hired. Despite all the drama and bad play that this season has brought, Hill and his side of the ball have been total pros about everything, and I think that’s something you can’t let get away. Whether it be making him the next head coach permanently or giving him all the money in the world to stick around with a new head coach, I think the school has to consider doing whatever it takes to keep him in town.
Grace: No. I don’t. I understand if it doesn’t happen, but the way Whittingham is already talking about 2027 recruits and the transfer portal as solutions is just a way of saying “I’m not the problem, it’s the players.” With Ohio State left on the schedule and some of these guys nearing the end of the careers, I think that’s a bad look.
Scotty: I would love Jay Hill to stick around. I’m iffy on some others, but Kyle Whittingham cannot be this team’s coach next year.
Oregon…do we even care about the game at this point? Are we at the point of apathy, or are we still fully engaged hoping this team makes a bowl game?
Von: I’m rooting for the players to succeed, but man, these next three weeks can’t go by fast enough.
Kellen: I’m excited to see if the men’s basketball team can bounce back from the UConn loss. That’s a high quality opponent and a good test for the Wolverines. That’s two games in a row against elite opponents (the first being Houston) that we haven’t seen them look great against elite opponents. As for the women’s team, the UConn win is up there as the best win in program history. That team has a legit chance at a national title run, has at least four WNBA players, and there’s a non-zero chance that we’re getting a KBA statue outside of Crisler before 2060. Does that answer your questions?
Matt: Hello darkness, my old friend. Apathy has arrived in its purest form. Who cares about a bowl game anymore? You could have said 10 years ago that making a bowl game was great because it allowed for an extra month of practice and a chance to see a team play one more time. This year, making a bowl game is futile because a majority of these players will be somewhere else next year anyways. I would be somewhat surprised if Michigan could even field a team for the bowl game given the amount of players that are sure to opt out and enter the portal the day after the Ohio State game.
Nick: I don’t think there’s any way Michigan wins this week with Oregon seemingly finding itself again. This might not be the best Oregon team we’ve seen in recent years, but it is still capable of handling business, especially against a Michigan team that’s totally lost right now. As for the rest of the year, I think UCLA is a lost cause as well. I won’t rule out anything with the Ohio State game with the Buckeyes’ season falling off a cliff. I did watch that 2024 game with my own two eyes, too. I even went back to watch the highlights a few times to verify that Michigan did win, so nothing would surprise me on that front. Regardless of how things pan out the rest of the way though, Michigan’s 2026 season is over and the program needs to wipe the slate clean for 2027.
Grace: Every week I’ll be hoping for the improbable. I’m rooting for the players, but I’m not enthusiastic or optimistic.
Scotty: This is a weird one for me. Obviously I can never root against Michigan, but I can’t stand to see Whit come back for another year. The season is over, and missing a bowl feels like the best bet to make sure he’s gone. I’ll be cheering for Michigan as always, but I won’t care or be upset when the game ends with a loss.
Give us a bold prediction for tomorrow’s game.
Von: The game is scoreless after the first quarter, but the Ducks outscore the Wolverines by at least four touchdowns the rest of the game.
Kellen: Michigan scores the first touchdown of the game and then doesn’t score again.
Matt: Michigan rushes for negative yardage on the game.
Nick: I think Bryce Underwood plays a significant amount of snaps. Tommy Carr looked pretty rough throwing the ball against Michigan State and the Ducks could eat him alive, especially behind an offensive line that’s in utter shambles. Carr will get the start at least, but I don’t think it’ll last very long.
Grace: Michigan doesn’t get thumped.
Scotty: Michigan gets shutout.
What’s the final score and why?
Von (4-5): Oregon 42, Michigan 10. This won’t even be close. After Whittingham’s comments about Oregon’s NIL this week, Dan Lanning will be out for blood, PJ Fleck style.
Kellen (5-4): Oregon wins, 26-7. Unlike Michigan, Dan Lanning actually made changes when things looked bad and the Ducks’ season has turned around. On the bright side, maybe there will be another Netflix screening that Michigan can get invited to in the beautiful fall Oregon weather; at least we know that one film is being watched.
Matt: (5-2): Oregon: A mediocre amount, Michigan: 0. Oregon figured some things out last week in its upset win over Ohio State, and Michigan has figured out nothing offensively. Can the Wolverines even score a point?
Nick (3-4): I’ve got Oregon winning, 31-7. The Ducks shouldn’t have any problem winning this game, especially at home. I think Michigan could perhaps find the end zone once with a new play caller, but nothing more inspiring than that. I think Jay Hill can keep the Ducks from making this a true bloodbath at least.
Grace (5-4): 24-21, Michigan. The defense makes huge plays on the road. The offense finds one tiny spark and Jason Beck isn’t there to stomp on it, so we win.
Scotty (2-4): 17-0, Oregon. Beck being fired was good to see, but it’s not going to make a difference this season. The offensive line is horrendous, and now we have the offensive line coach running the offense. Great! The defense will be solid, but the offense will be painful.
