Michigan and Washington are both coming off seasons in which they faltered at the end of the year with some tough losses.

Both started 7-1, but Michigan lost to Michigan State and Ohio State and then got pummeled 45-17 by Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl. That prompted Lloyd Carr to make some changes on his staff, moving offensive line coach Terry Malone to offensive coordinator, and the Wolverines are going into this game looking for a little more firepower offensively.

Washington lost some big games down the stretch against Oregon State and Miami and then lost a heartbreaker to Texas in the Holiday Bowl, followed by some tough scrutiny of Rick Neuheisel and his recruiting practices in the offseason. So both teams have a lot to play for and will make this one of the top games this year in terms of inter-sectional battles.

Washington needs to get Reggie Williams the ball as soon as he gets off the bus and get it to him as many ways as possible.

On offense, I feel like the Washington line is settled with most of their players returning. They have a quarterback in Cody Pickett who did a good job last year but has got to eliminate the turnovers that plagued him last year.

Pickett is capable of making the big play, and in Reggie Williams he's got one of the top two or three wide receivers in the country. Williams caught 61 passes last year and is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball. Washington needs to get him the ball as soon as he gets off the bus and get it to him as many ways as possible.

What impressed me about Williams last year was the fact that he was able to catch passes against good defensive backs and even against Quentin Jammer of Texas was still able to get off the line. The matchup between Williams and Michigan cornerback Marlin Jackson is going to be one of the keys for both teams, and Michigan will probably mix up the coverage and double Williams some throughout the game. If Charles Frederick can regain his form he could also be a threat for Washington.

The Huskies also have two good backs in Rich Alexis and Braxton Cleman, although Cleman may be limited by a hamstring injury, and they moved Zach Tuiasosopo from linebacker to fullback to give some more power to their blocking scheme, so they hope to be very explosive.

But Washington is going up against a defense that Carr calls one of his best ever at U of M and a defensive line that returns all four starters and is among the best in the country. Senior guard Elliot Zajac is out with a fractured ankle, so it's going to be critical for them to make some big plays because they may have a tough time running the ball against this defense.

	Reggie Williams may have to come up with some big plays if the Huskies are to have a chance against Michigan.

I'm looking to see what Michigan can do offensively in this game, because they finished in the bottom half of the Big Ten in offense and had 25 turnovers last year. They lost Marquise Walker which puts pressure on Ronald Bellamy to be successful at split end, and it's important for John Navarre to eliminate the turnovers as well. He had a tough game protection-wise in the bowl game against Tennessee last year, but the coaching staff has shown some faith in him and Navarre has got to reestablish his own confidence.

Michigan has always had a tailback as the focal point if the offense, and Chris Perry is going to be the tailback this year. The Wolverines look to be able to run the ball with B.J. Askew leading Perry behind a big, physical offensive line. The defensive line is really a question or Washington because they lost Larry Triplett and they don't see offensive lines like this in the Pac-10, but Kai Ellis and Ben Mahdavi are a good pair of linebackers. The keys on defense for UW are rebuilding the line and some consistency in the secondary.

Washington won this game with special teams last year and John Anderson at kicker and Derek McLaughlin at punter could make the difference this year. Michigan has always had good special teams but they are going to have to step it up to contain Frederick and Roc Alexander in the return game. The Wolverines have to at least get a tie on special teams.

In the end, Michigan has got to establish Navarre and make sure not to lose the game on offense with turnovers. They have to play good defense and special teams because those are the rocks of Michigan football, and they have to make Washington go the length of the field and not give up big plays. But the intangible of playing in the Big House with high expectations after a disappointing finish should be enough motivation for them.

Washington needs to get off to a fast start and take that big crowd out of the game by getting the ball to Williams, and they'll try to create some havoc with their defense by mixing fronts and pressures on Navarre. Neuheisel has also shown a flair for winning some big games, particularly in the fourth quarter, and this will be a test of that ability.

ESPN.com college football analyst Jim Donnan will be taking part in chats and making observations on Saturdays as part of College GameDay Online.