Week 4 NCAA Football Preview

Following an abysmal 7-5 overall record and a 5-3 Big Ten record, Wolverine fans and alumni had a noose around coach Lloyd Carr’s neck, and were ready to kick out the stool upon another slip up.

Most thought everything would fall apart for the Wolverines against Notre Dame last Saturday. But shockingly the Separation Saturday matchup became the date when the Michigan offense and defense finally showed its claws. Slashing through Brady Quinn and the Fighting Irish in a 47-21 win, and leaping into the elite of the AP Top 25.

The team effort has extended Carr's lease at the Michigan helm, but if the team can't maintain the energy they showed in South Bend at home against the Wisconsin Badgers - a squad that beat them 23-20 in 2005 - another letdown could happen.

"We've played three games and we've got 75 percent of the season to go," Carr said to Mlive.com. "We have an outstanding opponent and you have to be able to handle all the hype that goes with being up there in the rankings. Some teams can handle it and some can't. That'll be our challenge here.”

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they have appeared unable to handle the pressures of high praise and rankings that come with big wins in college football. Last season, after beating rival Michigan State 34-31 (ranked No. 11 at the time) on Oct. 1, the Wolverines lost 23-20 at home to Minnesota the next week despite being 8-point favorites. On Nov. 19, the Wolverines followed an encouraging performance in a 25-21 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State with an absolute disaster at the Alamo Bowl, losing 32-28 to 10-point underdog Nebraska. The way they seem to consistently lay eggs after dropping bombs on elite squads should have the Wolverines' faithful worried another ugly hiccup against the Badgers could be coming.

"We've been under the radar, and now that changes,'' Carr said to Mlive.com. "You have to see how you handle it when you're under the glare of the spotlight. So it doesn't matter where you're at, there are certain fundamental issues you have to deal with."

In order to stop the Badgers, Michigan will need another powerful performance from its defense, which held Notre Dame’s Darius Walker - a 1,000-yard rusher in 2005 – to just 25 yards on 10 carries. The Badgers have shown that they like to keep it old school on the field, pounding the rock with first-year starter P.J. Hill. The back has run up 138.3 rushing yards per game behind a powerful offensive line.

“I told our team before the season this would be one of the greatest challenges of the season for them, because the way it falls in the schedule and because the kind of football team Wisconsin is," Carr said at his Monday news conference. "We'll have to see. I don't have all the answers but I do know fundamentally, if your preparation isn't the same, if your intensity isn't the same week in and week out, in this conference, you're not going to be successful."

QUICK HITS

The Penn State Nittany Lions have been the 2006 underachiever in the Big Ten under coach Joe Paterno. But if Ohio State fails to show up like Notre Dame last weekend, there could be another national championship contender knocked out in the first month.

“We’re gonna play a superior football team, one of the better football teams we’ve played in the last five or six years.” Paterno said in his Monday news conference. "They’re extremely well coached, and they adjust real well you don’t fool 'em."

Despite beating the Buckeyes 17-10 as 4-point underdogs in 2005, Paterno doesn’t seem to be fooling oddsmakers either. They opened the line at Ohio State -17 with the Buckeyes at home.

Following an embarrassing loss to the Wolverines, the Fighting Irish must regroup to take on a Michigan State team that handed them their first loss last year. Although oddsmakers made the Irish favorites on the road, the Spartans will be confident they can put up another 44 points (like they did in 2005) after watching the Wolverines light up the Irish last week on national TV.

TOP PHOTO: Mike Hart leads the offensive attack for the revitalized Michigan Wolverines. (AP Photo)

Note: All NCAA football lines subject to change.

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