2. Tough Start to the Season
Generally it's nice to have a few weeks to ease into the season and get things going before having to play tough opponents. The Wolverines did not have that luxury in 2024, and they're not going to have that luxury in 2025. While the Wolverines open up against New Mexico on August 30th, they're at Oklahoma the next week. That's going to be a very tough game, and Michigan football is going to need to be ready.
Likewise, the Wolverines open up Big Ten play in week four at Nebraska. That's a brutal way to start in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers will likely be 3-0, and that environment is always rocking. With a big game against Michigan to start Big Ten play, those fans are going to be loud. In 2021, Michigan almost lost in Nebraska, and that Michigan team was elite.
Following that game, Michigan football will play Wisconsin at home, USC on the road, and then Washington at home. Thankfully there is a bye week between the Nebraska and Wisconsin games, but that's a brutal stretch to start Big Ten play. There are no real pushovers until Purdue on November 1st.
While none of those teams look like they're going to be national title contenders in 2025, they're going to be solid football teams. Given that we don't know what Michigan's 2025 roster is going to look like, much less how it'll perform, this is going to be a huge stretch. Michigan needs to find a way to escape this stretch with one loss, at most, if they want to realize their college football playoff aspirations.