After working years to climb to the top of the college football world and finally claiming a long-awaited national championship in the 2023 season, the Michigan Wolverines stumbled back to the pack in the 2024 season. A fall from the top of the college football pecking order was to be expected given the roster turnover and losing Jim Harbaugh as head coach to a return to the NFL, putting new head coach Sherrone Moore in a bit of an unenviable position at the helm of the reigning national champs.
But Michigan managed to end the 2024 season with some good momentum and has a star freshman set to take over at quarterback this fall. Could Michigan return to the College Football Playoff conversation this season, or will Michigan be in a bit of a rebuilding season once again as they look to regain the upper hand in the Big Ten?
Here is a quick look at the Michigan Wolverines as they head into the 2025 season.
2024 in review
Michigan won it all in the 2023 season but got off to a bit of a rocket start in the 2024 season. Michigan was quickly dropped back to some reality in Week 2 by losing at home to the Texas Longhorns by a score of 31-12. IT was clear this Michigan season was going to be much different from the previous few seasons. Michigan regained some footing with three straight wins following its loss to the Longhorns to remain in the top half of the top 25 rankings, but back-to-back losses to Washington and Illinois on the road dropped Michigan out of the rankings for the remainder of the season. Michigan was blown out at home by Oregon and lost a tough battle against a Cinderella Indiana Hoosiers team, but ended the season with a heated victory over arch rival Ohio State, continuing a winning streak against the Buckeyes.
Michigan faced off with Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Years Eve, a far cry from their last postseason matchup to start 2024 in the Rose Bowl semifinal round of the College Football Playoff. Michigan jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and held Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to just 16-of-32 passing for 192 yards with an interception. The Michigan defense forced three total turnovers against the Crimson Tide and held Alabama to 260 yards of total offense. Michigan only managed 190 yards of offense but somehow got away with it in the win.
Head coach profile
Sherrone Moore took over as head coach of the Michigan program after Jim Harbaugh accepted an offer to coach in the NFL from the Los Angeles Chargers, and it was a tough spot to step into at the time. Moore took some criticisms along the way as Michigan was run over at home by Texas in Week 2 and entered November with a pedestrian 5-3 record before losing back-to-back games against Oregon and Indiana at the start of November. But Moore silenced some of his critics after leading Michigan to a shocking 13-10 victory at Ohio State to end the regular season, thus knocking Ohio State out of the Big Ten championship game and allowing Penn State to step in to face the Ducks.
Moore added one more notable win to his profile by leading Michigan to a 19-13 victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl to give Michigan an 8-5 record. It may not have been the encore to a national championship that Michigan fans wanted to see, but wins over Ohio State and Alabama helped change some of the narrative around Moore’s job security.
Top offensive player
Is it premature to suggest Michigan’s best offensive player is freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood? It is possible that Underwood does not start the season at quarterback for the Wolverines, but he will likely be the starter for the majority of the season. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what the star-studded freshman will bring to the Michigan offense, a unit that is starving for a jolt in the passing game. Underwood will benefit from getting his experience now and the big payoff for Michigan may come in future seasons, but the world is waiting to see how Underwood performs in Ann Arbor.
Top defensive player
Michigan will not have to worry about its defense much in 2025. The defensive side of the football tends to be pretty consistent and is coming off a season in which it befuddled eventual national champion Ohio State and Alabama in the final two games of the year by allowing just 23 combined points. Michigan’s defense will remain tough, and defensive end Derrick Moore will be one of the leaders of the entire unit.
Moore is a two-time All-Big Ten player and tends to be seen in the mix, causing some panic in the backfield. His numbers may be lacking compared to other stellar defensive ends, but he will be having an impact on things this season, and opposing quarterbacks should be aware of his presence on every down.
2025 schedule
Aug. 30 vs. New MexicoSept. 6 at OklahomaSept. 13 vs. Central MichiganSept. 20 at NebraskaOct. 4 vs. WisconsinOct. 11 at USCOct. 18 vs. WashingtonOct. 25 at Michigan StateNov. 1 vs. PurdueNov. 15 at Northwestern (Wrigley Field)Nov. 22 at MarylandNov. 29 vs. Ohio State
Michigan faces a pretty challenging schedule this season that includes two road trips in September, a rarity for Michigan. Michigan gets an early litmus test in Week 2 at Oklahoma and then travels to a potentially rejuvenated Nebraska two weeks later to close out September. A 2-2 start to the season would not be a shock but would be unpleasant to see for Michigan faithful. The Wolverines also have to travel to USC in between home games against Wisconsin and Washington before making a short road trip to rival Michigan State in October.
Michigan will get a chance to extend its winning streak against bitter rival Ohio State at home this season. In all, this is a tricky schedule for a Michigan program looking to regain its footing as one of the Big Ten’s best, but the Wolverines benefit from missing conference matchups with Penn State and Oregon this year. A path to the Big Ten championship game could be paved if the Wolverines can get some momentum early on with road wins at Nebraska and USC.
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