John U. Bacon on football: Tough opponents ahead for Lions, Wolverines, and Spartans

This weekend, the Detroit Lions will play in a key divisional matchup, and the Wolverines and Spartans football teams will both face highly ranked opponents.

Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about the games ahead — and the latest chippy chapter of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.

Doug Tribou: Michigan will have the Paul Bunyan trophy for another year after beating Michigan State in their annual rivalry game last weekend. The closing moments featured some on-field fighting between the teams. Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller asked the Big Ten Conference to review video of the incident. But the conference said it will not take any action, in part because there were so many players and staffers on the field, it was difficult to confirm what was happening.

This comes two years after the fight in the Michigan Stadium tunnel that led to criminal charges for several MSU players. What’s your view of the nastiness we’ve seen in both directions in the last few years?

John U. Bacon: I am so tired of this. I think that probably, let's hope, both sides are — the fans, players, coaches, you name it. And look, we predicted this last week. I said that the fans will tailgate together — green and blue. You'll see them all over the place, hanging out. They're friends, they're family, all that good stuff. It's the friendliest pregame you're going to find, I think. And then the players hate each other. So my my new theory, Doug — hear me out — next time, let's try this: play the game, win or lose, shut up, leave the field. Crazy? Crazy enough to work. [Laughs]

DT: [Laughs] Sounds so simple. Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle announced his retirement from the game this week, citing his fifth concussion. Tuttle played mostly a backup role over the past couple of seasons, but he got a start this season. John, just another reminder that for all of the changes and protocols that have been added in college and pro football, we’re still watching a violent game…

JUB: Still a violent game. And we've got to be honest about this, Doug. If it was not a violent game, I'm afraid the fans would go away. The violence is partly what football sells. But good for Jack Tuttle to do what very few players did 20, 30, 40 years ago. And that is, recognize when your body has had enough and it's time to stop. Good for him.

DT: On Saturday, the Wolverines will host the Oregon Ducks. The teams have played a handful of times over the years, but this is their first game since Oregon joined the Big Ten. And the Ducks just happen to be ranked No. 1 in the country. What are some things Michigan can do to knock the Ducks off their pace?

JUB: Geez. Either the list is too long, Doug, or just very simple. Pray to the football gods. This is a mismatch. Michigan has got four games left. They have to get one win to become bowl-eligible. And this will be by far, I think, the hardest game to win on that list.

But against Michigan State, they had zero sacks against them. They had zero turnovers — fumbles and interceptions. They had zero penalties. And these are all things that they were not doing the previous week. So, they have to do that.

They also had 18 missed tackles. That ain't going to work against the Ducks. So they have to play simply their best game of the season, and it still might not be enough.

DT: The Indiana Hoosiers are off to a great start. They’re 8-0. Ranked No. 13 in the country. And they’ll visit Michigan State this weekend. As we’ve discussed, MSU has had some success in what is basically a rebuilding year. Coming off their loss to Michigan last weekend, what do the Spartans need to do better this week against the Hoosiers?

JUB: Well, they've got to mop up certain things, including turnovers and penalties. They made some mistakes on defense as well. But I think [head coach] Jonathan Smith at Michigan State has done a fantastic job. I think they're improving every week. And although Indiana is 8-0, and they've got a great story in their coach also: Curt Cignetti coached at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon in North Carolina, and James Madison before getting his big break at age 63 at Indiana.

And man, he has made the most of it. But they've not really played anybody, yet. They're 8-0 against no ranked teams. I think this game is possible for Michigan State. They have to play their best, but it's not out of reach.

DT: The Lions are 6-1 and currently in first place in the NFC North. The Green Packers are 6-2 and in second place. They’ll play each other on Sunday in Green Bay. The Lions have hit their stride offensively. They put up 52 points against Tennessee last weekend. What will they need to do to get past a strong Packers team?

JUB: Keep on doing what they're doing because they're best team right now in the NFL. And I said that out loud, Doug. Can't believe it. They are 6-1 for the first time since the 1950s. This is history. So it should be a great game.

But I think before they make a serious playoff run, they're going to have to replace Aidan Hutchinson, their star defensive [end who's] out with a broken leg, before they think about winning the whole thing.

DT: For the second time in five years, the Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series Champions. They knocked off the New York Yankees closing out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The series MVP is Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. Freeman hit four homers and set a record for consecutive World Series games with a homer — six games — that started back in his last World Series with the Braves in 2021. What stood out to you about the World Series, John?

JUB: One, the Yankees cannot cover first base [as well as] a good high school baseball team. It was pathetic. Two outs! Fifth inning! They're ahead 5-0. This game's in the bag, right? Routine groundball to the first baseman. He doesn't run to first base. The pitcher does not run to first base. No one covers first base. And the runner's going, 'What the hell just happened here?' and gets a free single. So that ended up being a five-run fifth inning. That's the game. That was pathetic.

It was also pathetic to see two Yankees fans basically accost the right fielder for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts. He caught a pop foul [along] the stands and they proceeded — basically — to try to gnaw his hands off his limbs. Google that one.

DT: It was unreal. Just absolutely unreal.

JUB: Exactly. So given that I didn't feel so bad about the Yankees losing.

DT: [Laughs]

JUB: Not that I ever do [Laughs].

Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.

The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.