ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football just had its second bye week following the 20-15 loss to Indiana, and its most winnable game is up next, with unranked Northwestern coming to town.

The Wolverines host the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon (3:30, FS1) at Michigan Stadium, looking to get out of their current 1-4 skid since October.

Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore was non-committal on the status of cornerback Will Johnson ahead of the Wolverines' game vs. Northwestern

Several key contributors — defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, tight end Colston Loveland — have already vowed to finish out the regular season despite high-level NFL draft projections, and there’s hope internally that All-Ameican cornerback Will Johnson can suit up again before he departs.

Getting to a bowl game is important for a number of reasons. It gives the Michigan football team another opportunity to play together, and it gives the team a few more weeks to practice. Those are important things for Sherrone Moore.

Needed one more win to reach bowl eligibility, Michigan enters its final home game expected to earn its sixth win of the 2024 season. The Wolverines (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) have opened as a 14-point favorite over Northwestern (4-6, 2-5) in opening lines released by Circa Sports on Sunday.