U U U AdIN. r a a 0 0 Michigan flew through its non-conference season, and the Wol- verines survived a thriller at Indiana last weekend. But now the real tests begin. Michigan's suspect defense will have its hands full and we'll get to see how Denard Robinson handles good defenses. Daily Football Beat Nicole Auerbach, Ryan Kartje, Tim Rohan and Joe Stapleton TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 GAME PREVIEW: This game might be the biggest of Rich Rodriguez's three-year stint. KICK AWAY: Troy Clack, a student, was close to kicking in the Big House. Michigan's kickers, on the other hand, are in the doghouse. BREAKDOWN: The Spartans will have to try to keep up with Denard Robinson to have a shot. BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Tim Rohan caught up with Spartan linebacker Greg Jones at Big Ten Media day in August. See what Jones had to say. 2010 Schedule Connecticut (Sept. 4): Denard ran all over UConn. He proved he could pass the ball too, and Rich Rod's hot seat began to cool down. Notre Dame (Sept. 11): After UConn, the ND game was Denard's encore on steroids, with a game-winning drive. Iowa (Oct. 16): Iowa's Adrian Clayborn may be the Big Ten's closest replacement for BG. That's a problem only if he can catch Shoelace. Penn State (Oct. 30): PSU has a freshman QB. Michigan knows what that's like. 'Nuff said. Massachusetts (Sept. 18): Michigan squeaked Illinois (Nov. 6): Ron Zook is probably the only by the Minutemen last weekend, winning by less IL N/IS coach in the nation who makes RichRod feel like than a touchdown. A win is a win is a win. his job is secure. Bowling Green (Sept. 25): Michigan's defense was thrown into question vs. Massachusetts. It will have a lot to prove aginst the Falcons. Indiana (Oct. 2): The Wolverines survived their first Big Ten test - but defense was once again suspect. Denard saved the day with 494 yards. Michigan State (Oct. 9): A top-20 showdown. and Dantonio's return to football - as if Mich- igan-Michigan State needed any more intrigue. Purdue (Nov. 13): Danny Hope did something last season RichRod would kill for: beat OSU. But they've had a rough year thus far. Yikes. Wisconsin (Nov. 20): The Badgers basically return their entire team. But hey, their last visit to the Big House went pretty well for Michigan. Ohio State (Nov. 27): Who knows, maybe Terrelle Pryor and OSU will have to try and derail Michigan's title hopes. follow @michdailysports for live updates during the game Cover photo by Max Collins Center spread design by Marissa McClain STAFF PICKS The Daily football writers do their best to predict what happens in the 2010 football season. Lee Quackenbush Kaner TimJoe Men's Glee Club Kartje .. Rohan , Stapleton President Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has not won a gane against Michigan State in his two tries so far for the Wolverines. Mao COLUNs/Daiy Battle for state boasts plenty of ig storylines Nicole Auerbach I No.18 Michigan (-5) vs. No.17 Michigan Michigan St. Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan No.1 Alabama(-0)at No.19 South Caro- Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama No.2 Ohio State (-28) vs. Indiana Ohio State Indiana Ohio State Indiana Ohio State No. 3 Oregon (-34) at Washington St. Washington St. Oregon Oregon Oregon Oregon No. 4 Boise State (-36) at Toledo Boise State Boise State Boise State Boise State Boise State No. 5 TCU (-33) vs. Wyoming TCU Wyoming Wyoming Wyoming TCU No.7 Nebraska (-10) at Kansas St. Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska No. 8 Auburn (-6.5) at Kentucky Auburn Auburn Auburn Auburn Auburn No. 9 Arizona (-7.5) vs. Oregon St. Arizona Arizona Oregon St. Arizona Arizona No.10 Utah (-4) at Iowa St. Utah Utah Utah Utah Utah No.11 Arkansas (-7.5) at Texas A&M Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas No.12 Louisiana St. (+9) at No.14 Florida Florida Florida Louisiana St. Florida Florida No.13 Miami (Fla.) (-7) vs. No. 23 Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Miami (Fla.) Florida St. Florida State No.16Stanford (-7) vs. USC Stanford Stanford . USC Stanford Stanford No.20 Wisconsin (-22) vs. Minnesota Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Minnesota No.21 Nevada (-38) vs. San Jose St. San Jose St. Nevada San Jose St. Nevada San Jose St. No.22 Oklahoma St. (-21) at LA-Lafayette Oklahoma St. Oklahoma St. Oklahoma St. Oklahoma St. Oklahoma St. No. 24 Missouri (-9) vs. Colorado Missouri Missouri Missouri Colorado Missouri No. 25 Air Force (-26) vs. Colorado St. Colorado St. Air Force Air Force Air Force Air Force Illinois (+11.5) at Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Illinois Illinois Purdue (+10) at Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwesterm Purdue Last week 11-5 7-9 11-5 10- 6n/a Overall record 56-34-2 52-38-2 51-39-2 58-34-2 0-0-0 Return of Dantonio and clash of undefeated teams puts nation's eyes on Ann Arbor By NICOLE AUERBACH Daily Sports Writer It's already a can't miss, circle- your-calendar game for most people in the state of Michigan. Add a coach returning from a heart attack, a Heisman front-runner and two unblemished records, and "can't miss" suddenly becomes an under- statement. The 2010 installment of the Michi- gan-Michigan State game, which will take place in Ann Arbor on Saturday, features storylines that are among the most intriguing in college football. Spartan coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack following Michigan State's overtime win over Notre Dame on Sept. 19. He planned to coach the Spartans last week against Wisconsin from the press box, but a blood clot in his leg kept him sent him back to the hospital. The fourth-year coach says nothing will keep him from coaching from the press box at the Big House on Saturday, though. "You can't keep me down Michi- gan week," Dantonio said to begin his weekly news conference on Tuesday. "It's good to be back - again." He'll be welcomed back to the field with the biggest challenge in the Big Ten - containing Michigan's explosive sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson. According to the nation's top col- lege football analysts, Robinson is the favorite to run away with the Heisman Trophy. In five games, he's already accumulated 1,008 passing yards, and he leads the nation with 905 rushing yards. "Denard is an outstanding play- er," Dantonio said. "When you look at the film, (Indiana) had the right defense and he makes people miss. "We have to swarm and get a lot of people to the point of attack. The one thing about playing them is if he makes a guy miss, he has the ability to go the distance." Robinson is a huge - if not the - reason the Wolverines are 5-0 and just a win away from bowl eligibility. On the other side of the field, the key to the Spartans' 5-0 start hasn't been just one player. It's been their run game in general, perhaps most nota- bly the emergence of running back Le'Veon Bell. The true freshman has averaged 94.2 yards per game so far. Michigan State's upset of then-No. 11 Wisconsin propelled the Spartans ahead of the Wolverines in this week's AP and coaches polls. Michigan State has won the last two meetings between the teams, and that includes last season's heartbreak- ing loss in overtime. Talk of "little brother" has simmered and turned into a running joke up in East Lansing. "Trust me, we talk about (the game) quite a bit and not just because they won the last two years," Michi- gan coach Rich Rodriguez said Mon- day. "It's no less important to us as it is to them." Rodriguez joked that he doesn't have a countdown clock to the annual game, like Dantonio implemented after he was hired by the Spartans. He said he counts down to each upcom- ing game just the same. Still, if Rodriguez wins this game, it will be the biggest victory of his coaching career at Michigan. "They are all big, but this one is bigger," Rodriguez said. "The rivalry games are always bigger. I'm sure they will tell you the same thing. It's a huge thing for both teams every year. The more you win, there's more at stake, and there's more at stake this year because both teams are undefeated." get a print of the SportSMonday on D I S C O U N T With the michigandailyom 1code 'football' TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com I-7B To apply to be a guest picker, e-mail naauer@umich.edu. If you're chosen and can beat at least two of us, you'll stay on for another week. The longest tenured guest picker will get a prize at the end of the season. 2B FootballSaturday, October 9, 2010