Daily Brews: Michigan may play morning game on West coast in 2020

Another night’s sleep passes and we are another day closer to the college football season officially kicking into high gear. Let’s get into the latest with Michigan Football and the rest of what’s trending.

Wolverines could be candidate for 9 a.m. PT kick on West coast in 2020

The Wolverines have not made it easy on themselves under Jim Harbaugh, as the team will play only its second season opener at home in five years under his watch when Middle Tennessee comes to Ann Arbor on Saturday night.

Michigan will be back on the road in 2020 to open the year, this time against the Washington Huskies. If FOX has its way, it might wind up being a morning kick for the Wolverines in their trip out west.

According to a report from Sports Business Journal, FOX is considering 9 a.m. PT kickoff times for Pac-12 football games starting as early as next year, where the Wolverines and Huskies may fit the bill in Week 1, while Ohio State at Oregon could be a candidate for the second week of the year.

We will have to wait and see how this unfolds, but FOX seems interested in expanding the exposure of the Pac-12 by giving the conference some more run during that first window of games on Saturdays.

Dad’s history vs. OSU fuels Aidan Hutchinson

The next crop of Wolverine stars gets their shot at beating Ohio State and turning the tide in the rivalry this year and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has unique motivation in doing his part to reverse Michigan’s fortunes.

His dad, Chris Hutchinson, played for Michigan from 1989 to 1992 and won four Big Ten Championships and never lost to Ohio State (3-0-1).

“Everyday, he tells me that he’s never lost to Ohio State,” Aidan said Monday in a media session. “I envy that, I really do.”

Hutchinson is expected to be one of the team’s breakout players on the defensive side of the ball and steps in to help replace void left by Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary, who are now set to play on NFL Sundays. His on-field play and demeanor have been singled out by several members of the team throughout the offseason and we will have to wait and see if his desire to win is contagious.

Harbaugh reacts to Andrew Luck retirement

Harbaugh was of course going to be asked about one of his prized pupils during his Monday press conference after news broke over the weekend about Andrew Luck stepping away from the NFL after seven seasons. Harbaugh called him family and was understanding of the situation, while also dropping a reference to 1970s television show “Kung Fu,” as Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News wrote.

“He’s a brother,” Harbaugh said of Luck, who he coached at Stanford. “One of my all-time favorite players that I ever coached. His wishes are to not play right now.”

Harbaugh paused then added a quote from the “Kung Fu” TV series.

“As far as other people, their reactions, I would say, even though his intentions were very clear and very well spoken,” Harbaugh said, before adding the “Kung Fu” quote, “I would say to not understand a man’s purpose does not make him confused.”

Shoutout to Harbaugh and shoutout to David Carradine and “Kung Fu.”

National Brews

• Penn State head coach James Franklin could be in hot water, as a former team doctor is suing the program for allegedly being forced to clear injured players to play. Yikes,
• In another bit of “yikes” news, former Michigan assistant (for like 12 days), current Miami offensive coordinator and real-life Littlefinger in the flesh Dan Enos completely chucked his quarterback under the bus for the loss to Florida over the weekend, saying, “He did not play well enough for us to win the football game.” He played decent given the pressure he was under, but clearly did not make a fan out of his OC.
• Texas will wear helmet stickers this season honoring Cedric Benson, who passed away recently after an accident at the age of 36.
• Adding to his Heisman Trophy campaign, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has won the starting holder job for field goals and extra points. He truly can do it all.

That’s it for Tuesday. We will be back Wednesday with the latest from Michigan and the rest of the country.