Michigan football is back on track following win over USC

Michigan football got a gutsy win on Saturday, defeating the USC Trojans 27-24 in Ann Arbor. This was a huge win for the Wolverines, as most, including Michigan legend Desmond Howard, predicted that they would lose. While it wasn't pretty at times (seven yards in the first 23 minutes of the second half), the Wolverines ultimately came through with a massive win.

It cannot be understated how important this win was. If Michigan football lost this game, their season was effectively over. Being 2-2, they'd have to win out for a chance to sniff the playoffs, and with games against Washington, Illinois, Oregon, and Ohio State remaining, that'd be very unlikely.

Now, Michigan is right where most thought they'd be before the start of the season; 3-1 with a loss to Texas. Michigan has a lot to still figure out as it pertains to the offense under Alex Orji, but at least now they have a few seemingly lower-stakes weeks to improve.

That's not to say that Minnesota, Washington, a ranked Illinois team, and Michigan State can't give this team trouble. It's very possible that Michigan will lose to one of those teams if they make enough mistakes. But the fact is, Michigan has more talent than those teams and should, on paper, be the better team.

What's also promising heading into those games is how good the Michigan defense looked against a great USC offense. Many fans, myself included, were scared of USC doing what Texas did to our defense. But the opposite happened. The defense dominated, and if it weren't for a funky play in which a Kenneth Grant fumble gave USC a first down, and Donovan Edwards first career fumble, the defense would have only given up 10 points.

Two fluke plays let USC get 14 easy points. Michigan's defense completely dominated the talented USC offense. If the Wolverines can maintain that defensive dominance as the offense keeps improving, Michigan could be a serious playoff contender come November.

All of Michigan's goals are still in front of it. The Wolverines can still win the Big Ten, beat its rivals, and make the playoffs. The Wolverines control their own destiny.

So while the win against USC wasn't always pretty, it was enough to put the Wolverines back on track and could be the game that saves the season. Go blue.