The Michigan football season is six weeks away, and the opener against New Mexico will be here before we know it.
On Friday, we broke down why Michigan football fans should feel optimistic about the Wolverines' chances of making the College Football Playoff.
Michigan made three straight appearances before winning the national championship in 2023. The Wolverines missed out last season, posting an 8-5 record.
However, the back-to-back wins over Ohio State and Alabama gave Michigan football a ton of momentum going into the offseason, as did the signing of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
The five-star freshman is expected to be the starting quarterback this fall. There will be some growing pains, but Underwood will be a major upgrade. Heck, projected backups Mikey Keene and Jake Garcia would be upgrades over the QB room last season.
For most of the season, Michigan could barely complete a pass. That won't be the case in 2025. The offense will be much improved. The defense? It should be as good as any in college football.
Will that add up a College Football Playoff berth? I'd say it's a 50/50 proposition going into the 2025 season, but how many win will Michigan need to make it happen?
How many wins does Michigan need to make College Football Playoff?
It feels like Michigan would need 10 wins to feel safe. Outside of "The Game", Michigan might not be guaranteed a top-25 matchup this season. Oklahoma should be ranked. Nebraska might be, too, as well as USC, but there's not many chances for marquee wins.
Nine wins with a win over Ohio State would have Michigan on the cusp. Depending how other programs fared, that might be enough. But if the three losses were to Oklahoma, Nebraska, and USC, on the road, would the committee consider MIchigan a playoff team?
That feels like a top-15 team, but maybe not a top-10 team. With six road games, Michigan needs to win at least four, then hold serve at the Big House, which includes beating the Buckeyes.
On the other hand, if Michigan was 10-1 and lost to Ohio State, but had two impressive road wins, that should still be enough to get the Wolverines in the dance.
However, you slice it, nine doesn't feel like enough, without a lot of help.