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Three things we believe heading into the meat of the schedule, two keys to a great finish and one positive sign for the future in this week’s column …

THREE THINGS WE THINK WE KNOW

1) The schedule isn’t as daunting as it was at the beginning of the year. And we predicted it might not be. Just like the 1997 season in which head coach Lloyd Carr gave his kids pickaxes and told them to “climb the mountain, one step at a time,” the terrain in front of them isn’t as daunting as many thought.