Last Saturday the Michigan football team had a chance to prove all the skeptics were wrong.

They had the opportunity to prove their win against Notre Dame was not a fluke. That the team might actually be worthy to play in the Rose Bowl, in case the Hawkeyes win out.

There were expectations this year for the young Michigan team. The expectations were low compared to ones that had been held for previous Michigan teams. Nonetheless there had been expectations.

The predictions showed Michigan winning six or seven games and finishing in fifth place in the Big 10, and accepting humbly a third-tier bowl appearance versus the MAC champion.

However before Michigan could even take the field for their first game this season, the predictions took a big hit amidst the allegations that Rich Rodriguez, head coach, violated the practice rules of the NCAA.

Eyebrows were raised when Michigan got off to a 4-0 start. Tate Forcier, freshman quarterback, was being touted as a candidate for the Heisman with the team being hailed as a contender for the conference title.

Then they lost to Michigan State in overtime and we weren’t sure suddenly what to think of the Wolverines.

Their 4-1 record seemed inflated with their wins over Western and Eastern Michigan. Maybe the win against Notre Dame had been luck.

Then undefeated Iowa, with their win over Penn State, gave Michigan an opportunity for quieting the doubts.

However the road night game was too much for the inexperienced team to overcome. At a critical point in the football game, Tate Forcier got knocked out with a concussion and Robinson, speedy but raw, faded in the final stretch.

The next week, Delaware State, cupcakes from the FCS, gave Michigan a brief reprieve. After shellacking Delaware State 63-6 Michigan still felt pretty good with their 5-2 record.

So here was the real test of Michigan’s measure. Maybe the Notre Dame game was a fluke. The Iowa and Michigan State games had been tough road games. Then there was Penn State, a legitimate team, who would either make or break the season for Michigan.

The game would determine whether Michigan was that fifth place team that so many had predicted or if they were something more than that. To be considered among the best in your conference, you need to defeat ranked teams in your home games.

Michigan, however, got blown out systematically. They got off to a great start with Brandon Minor barreling down field, which punctuated a bruising long drive, to get the touchdown and lead for Michigan at 7-0.

It appeared this could be a real game.

However, for the rest of the game, Michigan scored only three additional points. Meanwhile Daryll Clark, Evan Royster and Penn State cruised, seemingly doing nothing wrong and only had to punt on rare occasions.

We know now.

The Michigan team is who we were thinking they were. With a record of 5-3, unless there is a complete collapse, the Wolverines will be a bowl team. However, they are not much more of a team than that. They could possible win three out of their final four games to finish with an 8-4 record. That could get them a bowl on New Years Day. However, that appears to be this team’s ceiling.

An 8-4 record was what upset the Michigan fans under the coaching of Lloyd Carr. Rodriguez needs to surpass that record consistently.

They need to beat Illinois playing on the road, and defeat Purdue. The rubber games are Ohio State and Wisconsin, but after Penn State dismantled this team, the Ohio State games doesn’t look as winnable now.

The Penn State game was the 20th game for Rich Rodriguez as Michigan’s coach. His record after 20 games is 8-12. Aside from the 2008 season debacle, Michigan is once again showing signs that they can become the dominant team that their new coach envisioned.

However, the Michigan program does demand excellence. The Notre Dame win was nice, however when you coach Michigan it’s expected you will beat Iowa and Michigan State on a consistent basis as well as Penn State.

This year Rodriguez will get another mulligan. However in year three all excuses will be off the table.