MICHAEL BARRETT

The University of Michigan football team abruptly fired its linebackers coach one day after the school settled with the Big Ten over its suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

3 key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.

Those who stay will be champions has been a Michigan football mantra for generations, dating to Bo Schembechler saying those six words to his first team in 1969.

In the past week, five key Michigan football players have announced they will return for the 2023 season.

Jim Harbaugh has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Michigan football team to an undefeated regular season and East Division title.

Michigan is looking to play a full 60 minutes of dominant football this weekend against Nebraska after a string of games that stayed close until after the half.

Michigan jumped up two spots to No. 3 in the second edition of this season’s College Football Playoff rankings.

The Michigan Wolverines flipped the switch in the second half to defeat the Rutgers Scarlett Knights 52-17 to improve to 9-0 on the season.

Michigan overcame a strange series of first-half plays Saturday to dominate Rutgers and survive what ended up being a wacky weekend of college football.

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The Michigan Wolverines took care of business in consecutive road games as the men in maize beat the Indiana Hoosiers 31-10 to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Michigan football landed another top-10 recruiting class during the early signing period last week, but it’s the bottom third of Jim Harbaugh’s most criticized class that has elevated the Wolverines to a playoff appearance.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at the first full week of the football season, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Blake Corum sprinted for a 67-yard touchdown to give Michigan a double-digit lead in the second quarter, one play after Jim Harbaugh called for a fake punt and the Wolverines pulled away to beat Washington 31-10.

The University of Michigan defeated the University of Washington at the Big House Saturday evening.

The Spartans (1-1, 1-1 Big Ten) appeared to be the better team all afternoon on both sides of the ball in Mel Tucker's debut as coach in the rivalry. Tucker became just the second coach to beat Michigan in his first attempt with the Spartans, joining Alabama coach Nick Saban, who did it in 1995. The Wolverines (1-1, 1-1) were favored to win by more than three touchdowns. Running back Hassan Haskins scored on a 2-yard run with 37 seconds left to help Michigan pull within three points. The onside kick was recovered by Michigan State running back Connor Heyward and Lombardi converted a fourth-and-2 from the Michigan 36 with a sneak to seal the victory.

Here are some of the most positive takeaways from the performance, as well as a few concerns. On Ben Mason’s touchdown, Milton tossed a little dump-down pass that looked simple enough but gave Mason the corner to get to the pylon. But he also returned a kickoff 66 yards to set up a Michigan touchdown. Michigan didn’t necessarily get better at wide receiver by losing Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, but this year’s group has a different look, and it might end up being a net positive. Like Nordin, Hill is expected to return to practice this week after he was removed from the Minnesota game with an undisclosed injury.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football made plenty of huge plays in its blowout win over Minnesota, but what about the under-the-radar moments that helped Jim Harbaugh’s team maintain control of the game? Upshaw’s tackle ultimately saved Michigan four points, and instead of a tie game, the Wolverines maintained a 14-10 lead. Four plays later, Haskins punched the ball into the end zone to give Michigan an 18-point lead, and the game was virtually over. After coming out with an impressive touchdown drive to get back within 11 points, Minnesota kicked off and forced a fumble during Blake Corum’s return. “There was a ton of hustle plays throughout the game,” Harbaugh said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Which pair of Michigan football players who share a jersey number will unite to be the most valuable this season? This year’s roster, with the new rule in place, has 45 duos who will wear the same jersey number. Some of the Michigan jersey number duos contain players who will contribute on different sides of the ball. 1: Both players must wear a jersey number for the entire season for their stats to qualify in favor of said jersey number. Other eligible duosHere are all the other jersey number duos listed on the 2020 Michigan football roster, as of Oct. 16.

Michigan has often been ranked among the top five or 10 teams in the country, and that’s thanks to strong defensive performances. Kwity Paye #19 of the Michigan Wolverines tries to sack Peyton Ramsey #12 of the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. According to Harbaugh, they’ve only gotten better this offseason, and if Michigan can get some help from the defensive tackles, it’ll make their jobs even easier. READ: Defensive line is X-factor for Michigan against quarterback-loaded scheduleWith a less experienced secondary -- particularly at cornerback -- Hutchinson and Paye will be more important than ever. Defensive tacklesStarters: Carlo Kemp and Chris HintonConfidence: 100% and 95%Kemp will be one of the starters at defensive tackle -- that’s a slam dunk.

Every single recruiting class is important, and the Wolverines have reached the point where the 2018 class -- by far Harbaugh’s most criticized group -- has to make major contributions. Remembering the 2018 recruiting cycleThe 2018 class was recruited amid Michigan’s worst season of the Harbaugh era. The result was Michigan’s only full recruiting class to be ranked outside the top 20 since Harbaugh took over. Michigan’s recruiting has since rebounded, but that 2018 unit will play a major role in the coming seasons. 18 in MissouriRole: Guaranteed starterNobody better exemplifies the 2018 class than Bell, and everyone who follows Michigan football knows his story.

As a potential first-round draft pick, Mayfield certainly belongs in Michigan’s MVP conversation, even though he won’t stuff any stat sheets as an O-lineman. Even if he doesn’t ultimately win team MVP, Mayfield could end up being the most important player. LB Cam McGroneCameron McGrone #44 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a fourth quarter sack against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Michigan Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. DE Kwity PayeKwity Paye #19 of the Michigan Wolverines tries to sack Peyton Ramsey #12 of the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then they would both be candidates for team MVP.

Jim Harbaugh has landed plenty of highly rated recruits during his tenure at Michigan, but some of the most important players on the roster were ranked much lower and have proven to be steals. None of these players were four- or five-star recruits, and only one ranked among the top 500 overall players in his class. For a player ranked No. 975 player in 2018 classHarbaugh went into Missouri to land Hassan Haskins in 2018, and his only other Power Five offer came from Purdue. Metelluls has 159 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 12 passes defended in his Michigan career.

CNN(CNN) - A federal judge has temporarily blocked Ohio's "heartbeat" bill banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy from going into effect. Judge Michael Barrett on Wednesday barred Senate Bill 23 while he considers the lawsuit challenging the measure filed by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union in May. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood sued Alabama in May and Arkansas and Georgia last week, while the American Medical Association sued North Dakota on Tuesday. Should the Ohio law have gone into force, "one could characterize the obstacle Ohio women will face as not merely 'substantial,' but, rather, 'insurmountable,'" Barrett wrote. "The Court concludes, based on current United States Supreme Court precedent, that Plaintiffs are certain to succeed on the merits of their claim that S.B.