Turk... You must distinguish the real from the hype.
The Dazed & Blue Horde are loaded from top to bottom with high-quality, sought-after gridiron talent. The team just needed a talented, charismatic college-level football leader who could put the pieces all together into a cohesive machine; and James Hair-ball is doing a very commendable job so far. Hair-ball's tenure at SF was virtually over - after several years, multi-million dollar pros didn't buy into his rah-rah, "win one for the Gipper" shtick any more and the team as a whole was beginning to turn on the man (I've got very reliable inside info on that one). The college game was his true path with heart in the first place and Michigan was his nirvana program (since being a ball boy in the Bo Schembechler years). He's gonna succeed big time; and Meat-Chicken's current meteoric upward mobility is something both remarkable and a testament to the high quality talent pool under his mentorship. However, It's all still very much a work in progress. But the kissy-butt, fawning media gnomes, who are trying very hard to get a foothold on this pigskin rocket ship that's blasting off, are so positively ingratiating to the program, that it's hard to see the real from the mythical. The national media focus is squarely on Meat-Chicken, period; NU is just their next opponent "meat" and have little to no market worth, except as a college football novelty that is "a nice story" but has little to no staying value in the long run. That's where I believe NU has the advantage, at least from the media and college football fan base aspect.
As for comparing both teams, they are currently virtually running neck-and neck down the game week backstretch and by tomorrow they both will be racing through the far turn and heading into their stretch run to the finish line. Both are great defensively (no news there); but the talent level and depth across all positions could be on NU side because that's the team strength, bar none. But the difference between them is marginal and could turn on a dime with an injury to a key player or two. Don't bluster about NU's D being THAT much better than Meat-Chicken's D - they just ain't. Turnovers will be a major factor. If NU can win the TO battle, then the final outcome will shift in the 'Cats favor; if not, then NU is gonna get stomped.
Offensively is where the hype machine kicks-in. The Dazed & Blue Horde have a transfer QB in Jake Rudock who was/is middling at best, but still is assimilating into the Hair-ball O structure and growing - and you've got to understand that the Hair-ball regime nurtured a journeyman QB in Colin Kaepernick into a top NFL talent (at least better than 66% of the starting QB pool in the NFL), so Rudock is still in his "honeymoon period" with his HC and OC. And that's where the hype starts. The media attention is all on Rudock and his upside potential; with the Wildcats' Clayton Thorson being no more that a cute newbie QB afterthought. But that is all national media hype and college football fan break-room chatter. Meat-Chicken's coaching staff is taking NU very seriously and the 109k rabid Dazed & Blue Horde fan base is gonna be vocal and calling for their team to turn the visitors into MildCat roadkill as quickly as possible. Rudock's growth between the Maryland game and this weekend is the crucial factor. If he progresses with Hair-Ball's passing game plan, then NU is in jeopardy because Rudock will perform better; if he regresses for whatever reason (performance anxiety; Odenigbo, Lancaster, Gibson & Lowry constantly in his shorts; etc...), then the door opens for NU to grab the "W" flag and leave The Big Out-House singing "Go U NU."
The second BIG key offensively is whether or not Thorson and Co. can score in H-1 to quell the loud drumbeats from the Meat-Chicken fans. If NU heads into Q4 with the lead or is within striking distance and has possession, the Dazed & Blue Horde sidelines will begin to feel the heat of their own mistaken expectations (both players and coaches) and that's where the 'Cats have to seal the deal - which they haven't been able to do in the last 3 contests with Meat-Chicken.
I see a huge dogfight, especially in Q4. The cream will rise and I envision the 'Cats doing a repeat performance of the exciting '95 Q4 photo-finish scenario, in which Clayton does his best imitation of Steve Schnur making short dink TD scoring toss to Vitale playing the part of Matt Hartl midway thru the last quarter. Then the Wildcat D has to rise and stone the Dazed & Blue Horde O to prevent a tying or go-ahead score.
