Zak Drapeau's CFB Week 8 Game of the Week: Washington at Michigan

Zak Drapeau
2 hours ago
4 min read

by Zak Drapeau 10/17/2025 Sportz Nation

So the common pick for "Game of the Week" for Week 8 is either College Gameday's pick of Ole Miss at Georgia or Tennessee at Alabama.

Since coverage of those two games will be abundant all week, I've decided to give light to what I would consider will be the most competitive game of the week, Washington at Michigan. A battle of Big 10 teams who need this win to keep playoff-hopes alive, this game will have an insane atmosphere in Ann Arbor.

Graphic by USA Today Network via Data Skrive — Graphic by USA Today Network via *Data Skrive*

After a loss last week in Southern Cal, Michigan fell out of the Top-25 rankings. In complete speculation, Michigan can be assumed to have a similar ranking in the 26-30 mark as Washington. Washington likely being in the AP Poll's #26 or #27 spot. In My own Top-25 rankings you can find here, I have Michigan at #22 and Washington at #27.

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Michigan

Michigan's loss last week at USC was a reality check for the 2023 National Champs... but also wasn't as big of a deal as most media will let on. USC has a great team and has been great at home all season.

Yes, True Freshman-QB Bryce Underwood had a bad game but that isn't indicative of the entire team or their season. In a raucous Memorial Stadium the 19-year old was rattled but still threw 2 TD passes and commanded his team the whole time.

A huge blow for Michigan came when RB Justice Haynes went down with a rib injury and is listed as Questionable for Saturday's game at home. The Alabama-transfer Haynes has been the best and most consistent part of Michigan's offense and has definitely made adjusting a lot easier for Underwood.

Michigan has also been great at home this season, with a 3-0 record and an average score of 40-10 albeit against New Mexico, Central Michigan and Wisconsin (a combined 8-10 on the season). Michigan's record against what I would consider "Top-40 schools" is 1-2 with an average score of 19-27 against Oklahoma, Nebraska and USC.

Plain and simple, Michigan's offense will need to step up this weekend when the Huskies come to town. Underwood may have thrown for 200 yards in consecutive games but that won't be enough when facing the high-powered Washington offense especially if he doesn't have his All-American running back to rely on as well.

Washington

Everyone is talking about how Washington is one of the most underrated teams in the nation and while I agree, I also believe this will be the first game since their Ohio State loss where they can prove they need to be ranked.

Washington on paper should be ranked, with their only loss coming against the #1 team and defending National Champion Buckeyes. Except for the fact that you could make an argument that has been their ONLY test on the season so far. Yes, a big win two weeks ago in Maryland will go down as a "good win" but it wasn't huge by any means or anything.

That is not to downplay Washington's roster or gameplay this year because they have been great, all I'm saying is this game at Ann Arbor is MORE important to the team's status and resume this season as any.

Washington's offense is also centered around their running back Jonah Coleman who leads the nation in rushing TDs with 11. A top-draft prospect, Coleman's blend of toughness and vision has made him the ideal focal point for Jedd Fisch's offense.

Quarterback Desmond Williams has also done a great job at being efficient and not turning the ball over. Again, it's worth noting that the only top-notch defense they've faced, (which also happens to be the best defense in the country) resulted in no turnovers for this team... but also no touchdowns.

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Zak's Picks

So far on the season, I am 9-5 on picking the winner and over/under of my "Game of the Week". Last week I took the Under/52.5 which hit but I also had Oregon so 1-and-1.

This game should be a mashup of two well-coached teams that sees an intense atmosphere with limited penalties and turnovers. With neither team looking to make the first mistake, watch for both teams' Punters to have a big day.

Washington seems more likely to score first with Jonah Coleman being on fire this season even against Michigan's #20 ranked run defense. That being said, I don't think either offense has a great start and with the seriousness each team will play with, I will have to take the U/51.5 total score for the game.

As for my prediction of the winner, I may change this before game time if Justice Haynes plays but for right now I have to take Washington Money Line. The more safe bet would be their spread which is currently sitting at +4.5 points but I really think Washington wins by a score-line like 20-13 thanks to winning a turnover battle and playing smart especially in the second half.

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