Everyone is wondering how the 2025 college football season is going to look, who is going to win each conference, who is going to make it into the College Football Playoff, and who is going to win it all in the end. After winning it all in 2023, Michigan fell a bit in 2024, not making the playoffs, but finishing the season strong with wins against Ohio State and Alabama.
Every expert right now is trying to figure out who is going to be a contender, who is a sleeper, and who has the real shot at winning it all next season. Fox Sports college football commentator Joel Klatt is doing the same with his latest top 25 rankings and Klatt has some very interesting takes.
Michigan has received some love in the rankings from other outlets like On3 and USA Today, but everyone wants to see more from the Wolverines before they rank them too high, however, Klatt seems to have more faith in Michigan, and it is because of an interesting factor.
Klatt believes it won't necessarily be Michigan's offense that will propel them forward this season. While he acknowledges that the offense could make them unstoppable, he believes the defense will be the backbone of this team and will, at the very least, make them solid contenders until the offense puts things together.
Joel Klatt references how Michigan ended the season as reason Wolverines have a real chance in 2025
Michigan had three top 25 wins in the 2024 season, beating USC, Ohio State, and Alabama, with those last two wins coming at the very end of the season. The Wolverines did that with their offense looking worse than it has in a very long time and doing virtually nothing. They accomplished those wins with defense, and even did it without their stars against Alabama.
In the bowl win against Alabama, the Wolverines didn't have stars like Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Will Johnson, who were all off prepping for the NFL Draft. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale did a phenomenal job game planning against a great Alabama offense that still had quite a few of their playmakers playing like quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Klatt isn't making his ranking based on the "what ifs" that Bryce Underwood, he is looking at the team that finished the season last year, and that is what people should be scared of.
"This is not a ranking that has anything to do with Bryce Underwood," Klatt said in his ranking explanation. "This again is defense, this is Sherrone Moore. It's philosophy, and we'll see what the offense actually is."
Even though Michigan will have to replace some big playmakers, this defense looks very good, and if the offense can put it all together as well, this team could be top 10, even top 5 in the country, and make a serious run at a National Championship again.