It’s 4:09 p.m. and Michigan still sucks, but unfortunately, no matter how much we hate the Wolverines, we need them to beat Indiana this weekend.

Why would any Penn Stater ever root for them? A trip from College GameDay for the first time in eight years is likely on the line.

Next weekend, there are three games slated between currently ranked opponents — No. 17 Michigan at No. 3 Penn State, No. 13 USC at No. 16 Notre Dame, and No. 22 UCF at No. 25 Navy. Before last weekend, Michigan against Penn State appeared like it would be a top ten matchup, destined for Happy Valley to host the weekly pregame show. Now, there is a chance that it could be the number three team in the nation matched up against an unranked team.

This is why we need to suck it up and root for Michigan this weekend. While there are many Penn State fans that do not want ESPN coming for the game, the students want College GameDay here. This is the biggest home game of the season. It’s the White Out. It’s a night game. All in all, it’s finally a chance for Penn State to prove against a top team that the Nittany Lions are among the nation’s best.

Even though Michigan only plays Indiana this weekend, it is still a trap game for the Wolverines. No one expected them to lose to Michigan State last weekend, and Indiana put up strong fight at home against Ohio State earlier this year. Down starting quarterback Wilton Speight, nothing’s a given for Jim Harbaugh’s squad.

Michigan is favored by eight points, but Penn State fans need to hope the Wolverines put up a strong game and hold their stature to make next weekend’s matchup big enough that ESPN simply can’t ignore it.