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Posted at 11:00 AM EST

7:30 PM EST. Minnesota started the season 3-0, and even though they are now 4-4, they still have credibility because of a bunch of misleading scores that are close on paper. The Gophers lost 30-27 to Michigan State. That looks good but it was 30-13 with under three minutes left when Minnesota scored two garbage time TD’s to make it look close. It wasn’t. Last week’s 17-10 loss to Iowa also looks respectable but it was 14-0 at the half and Gophers QB Demry Craft completed just 9 of 29 passes for 139 yards. Trust us when we tell you that the roster that P.J. Fleck inherited is just not equipped for life in the Big Ten. There was natural attrition as a result of the regime change, and while the players have largely responded to Fleck and embraced the new culture, there's not enough talent or depth on hand.

The lineup is full of underclassmen and injuries are mounting as the season wears on. Minnesota's extreme youth is continuing to wear down as it navigates the rugged conference season. The secondary is the greenest and thinnest unit in the conference and its offense has no shot against Michigan. Don’t be deceived by the defense's solid pass defense numbers or the close final scores that are Minnesota’s résumé.

Michigan is not having a great year but make no mistake that the Wolverines are fielding one of the best defensive units in the county. It's the offense that's been broken, thanks to both an underperforming quarterback group and the failure of a new-look staff to jell quickly.

Michigan has three offensive coaches with a coordinator title, two of whom are new. It is taking time for that side of the ball to find its identity and play-calling rhythm but it's coming. Quality and cohesion of coaches will not be an issue under Jim Harbaugh, and his rare staffing mistakes will be corrected quickly. The quarterback dilemma might also be resolving itself, as Brandon Peters led scoring drives on his first three possessions after replacing an ineffective John O'Korn in a 35-14 win over Rutgers. After this one, the Wolverines play Maryland so the schedule allows for some room to break the new signal-caller in gradually before the season closes with Wisconsin and Ohio State. The staff will get the passing game on track with Peters and in the meantime the defense is suffocating and the ground game punishing. The Wolverines are not done improving and we'd suggest that the lowest Michigan's stock will be for the next decade is right now, at fourth place in the Big Ten East, unranked in the AP poll and having won and covered just two of its past 10 games. We're investing in the Wolverines to absolutely crush this overmatched visitor by 30 or more, let alone 15½. If you make one wager today, this should be it.

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