Schrödinger's Cat is a thought experiment created by an Austrian physicist named Erwin Schrödinger in the 1930's. It basically goes like this: there's a cat in a box that's subject to a Rube Goldberg device that will either kill it or do nothing depending on whether a small amount of radioactive material decays, setting off the whole thing. An outside observer can't know when or how or if the material will decay, so theoretically the cat could be considered to be both "dead" and "alive" at the same time.
The thought experiment was devised to point out a significant problem in quantum mechanics known as "quantum superposition," where subatomic events can exist in two different states at exactly the same time, and observations will show both states are "real." In other words, it's not that the observer doesn't know which state is happening, it's that two different states can actually be happening simultaneously.
Or whatever; that's the best explanation you're gonna get from a Social Studies teacher who got kicked out of Physics class before midterms during his senior year. Corrections in the comments are welcome.
But my point as far as Threat Level: Michigan goes is that the Wolverines are the college football equivalent of Schrödinger's Cat. A dramatic win against Northwestern can be both cool and dumb, and reveal Michigan to be both good and bad. Two neutral observers might look at that 20-17 comeback win in Evanston against Northwestern as proof of... well, just about anything, and all at the same time.
It just depends on what you're looking at.
THREAT LEVEL
Two minutes into the second quarter, Northwestern had taken a 17-0 lead, and this post was getting really, really easy to write. "Michigan sucks hahah let's take a nap!" is a lot less taxing mentally than "Michigan might suck, but maybe not? Actually I don't know!"
And then... nothing. From Northwestern, anyway. Michigan mounted a comeback that was methodical and workmanlike, and from halftime on, it seemed like the rest of the game was utterly preordained. Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson was sacked six times, the Wildcats only managed 38 yards on the ground against a (still) very good Michigan defense, and in the meantime, neither team turned the ball over.
Shea Patterson was good (15/24, 196 yards) and Karan Higdon was fine (115 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns). Nico Collins was the receiver who stepped up on this particular week (six receptions, 73 yards), but ultimately it was the Wolverine defense that allowed the comeback to happen.
After halfway through the second quarter, the longest Northwestern drive lasted six plays, and that sixth play was a sack that ended the game. Before that final drive, the Wildcats had managed all of 32 total yards in the second half. Michigan was dominant, especially in the trenches.
Behavior of a good team? Bad team? Bored team? It's hard to say. But now things are going to start to get interesting (and observable) for Michigan. Maryland, not a pushover by any stretch, comes to town next weekend. Then it's Wisconsin, Sparty, and Penn State all in a row and all looking to tee off against Harbaugh and company.
Certitude is coming, friends. For now though, we'll stick with ELEVATED.
