Mitten Masterkey: Week 1
A helpful guide to help you find what you need as you navigate Week 1 with the Mitten teams.
Welcome to the Mitten Masterkey.
This will be a weekly round up, dropping at the start of weekends to serve as a one-stop-shop for relevant information on the five Michigan teams.
From the game schedule and where to watch to some 11th hour news and notes, this aims to be an informative, helpful guide for you as you navigate watching busy college football weekends.
So without further ado…
The schedule and TV assignments
7:00 p.m., Friday: Western Michigan at Michigan State, Fox Sports 1
10:30 p.m., Friday: Central Michigan at San Jose State, Fox Sports 1
7:30 p.m., Saturday: New Mexico at Michigan, NBC/Peacock
8:00 p.m., Saturday: Eastern Michigan at Texas State, ESPN+
And for the uninitiated, this master schedule absolutely rocks (just be aware times are central).
Pregame, halftime reading from Mitten Football, others
- Press conference notes on quarterbacks at directional schools, Cole Cabana’s health at Western Michigan (Mitten Football, Aug. 25)
- Speaking with media this week, MSU AD J Batt addressed the future relationship with Central Michigan after the Stalions scandal (MLive, Aug. 27)
- Munn tailgates are back and Tom Izzo is excited about it (MLive, Aug. 27)
- A feature on Eastern Michigan’s Dontae McMillan, who is back after breaking his leg in front of a hometown crowd (Mitten Football, Aug. 28)
- A feature on Western Michigan’s Tate Hallock, who returns to where his college career began (MLive, Aug. 28)
- Some goods on Bryce Underwood ahead of his first game starting for Michigan (Detroit News, Aug. 28)
Picks and preview
Check them out here, but for a brief version (scores not included):
- Michigan State over Western Michigan
- San Jose State over Central Michigan
- Michigan over New Mexico
- Texas State over Eastern Michigan
A freshman to watch
Western Michigan is high on receiver Aveion Chenault, a true freshman from Lexington, Kentucky, who drew plenty of attention in camp from the Broncos.
The Broncos have a few other pass catchers who will be hard to usurp, but Chenault has a real chance to be a real factor in the Western Michigan passing game this season.
The Broncos figuring out the quarterback situation with clarity as the games go on may help, too.
A unit to watch
It’s the Michigan State offensive line. The Spartans have, in their own estimation, nearly two starting units worth of playable offensive linemen. And thus the plan is to rotate certain players into spots during the game on Friday night.
But with so much invested into making this group better going into Year 2 for this Spartans regime, a road-grading performance against the Broncos on Friday would be a big early boost.
A fun prediction
Multiple players record a passing touchdown for Central Michigan.
This one is based on something head coach Matt Drinkall has hammered all camp and during his Week 1 press conference: He thinks all the quarterbacks are talented enough to play and make an impact, and he’s inclined to get them on the field.
Redshirt senior Joe Labas is the starter, but Drinkall has consistently said he’d like to try and reap the benefits from the other talents and skillsets in the room. So if one of Jadyn Glasser, Angel Flores or Marcus Beamon also notch a passing touchdown against the Spartans, along with Labas, don’t be surprised.
