Can Michigan win a national title under Sherrone Moore?

The Michigan Wolverines claimed their first national championship after a statement 34-13 win over the Washington Huskies in the national championship game for the 2023 season. 

After that title, and after head coach Jim Harbaugh left to the Los Angeles Chargers and then players J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum left for the NFL, the Wolverines went through an up-and-down season in their first with head coach Sherrone Moore leading the way.

After losing four of their first seven conference games, the team would rebound in a huge way to finish the season, defeating Northwestern and then scoring a huge 13-10 upset victory over Ohio State in “The Game,” their fourth consecutive victory over the eventual national champions in 2024. 

The team ended on an even higher note, defeating Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and now Michigan fans and college football fans are likely wondering, “how long until a national championship goes back to Ann Arbor?”

According to CBS Sports, it might not be all that much longer. 

In the site’s list of college football programs set up to compete for future national titles, the Wolverines were found in the “elite” category, just under the “diamond” tier teams that were made up of the Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, the usual suspects in terms of college football national championships. 

Joining Michigan in the “elite” tier is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Florida Gators, Oklahoma Sooners, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Texas A&M Aggies. 

“Michigan is in the diamond tier of college football jobs, but the verdict is still pending in their sign-stealing investigation, and the potential ramifications for Sherrone Moore and his staff over the coming years could be significant,” the list read. “Harbaugh’s national championship in 2023 set sky-high expectations for Moore, much like the almost unreachable bar Alabama fans have set for Kalen DeBoer after Nick Saban’s retirement.”

While Moore does have some big shoes to fill at “The Big House” in his second year, him having Bryce Underwood at quarterback is sure to help him through his sophomore coaching year, Underwood being the No. 1 overall ranked high school footballer in the 2025 class. 

Worst case scenario, maybe they get a fifth consecutive win over the Buckeyes at the end of the year.