After Big Ten Media Days earlier this week, you can just about taste football season. Michigan football games are now less than five weeks away.
The excitement is palpable. Bryce Underwood is a major contributing factor. So is the way the Wolverines ended the 2024 season, with wins over Ohio State and Alabama.
The bowl game in particular showed just how good the defense can be, even without Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant anchoring the middle.
With a new offensive coordinator, some sneaky-good transfer portal pickups, and a loaded freshman class, the arrow is pointing up for head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines.
Here's a game-by-game prediction for Michigan football in the 2025 season.
New Mexico (Aug. 30): W
Bryce Underwood will make his debut under the lights at the Big House against New Mexico, a team that won four games last season.
The Lobos lost Bronco Mendenhall, their 2024 head coach, to Utah State. However, former Idaho head coach Jason Eck has taken over. He transformed a floudering program into an FCS power in the Big Sky Conference.
This transition will take time, but Eck brought an FCS All-American running back Scottre Humphrey who rushed for 1,386 yards, third in the FCS last season for Montana State. He's also First-Team All-Mountain West in the preseason.
Former Idaho starting quarterback Jack Layne is a name to watch in the quarterback battle. He threw for 165 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 loss to Oregon last season. He's also got a Second-Team All-Preseason Mountain West wide receiver to throw to in Keagan Johnson, a former Iowa/Kansas State player who caught 20 passes for 359 yards last season for K-State.
New Mexico has 10 players who earned all-conference honors in the Mountain West, but still, Michigan football is a massive favorite for a reason. The Wolverines defensive line should stymie the running game, plus it's hard to see New Mexico slowing down Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes.
Anytime you have a new coaching staff, you have to throw out last season. The stats aren't relevant. Eck is a good coach, though. New Mexico will be better this season, but not good enough to compete with Michigan football for four quarters.
Michigan 38, New Mexico 10
At Oklahoma (Sept. 6): W
This second game on the schedule is one of the most important. Michigan football will hit the road to battle an SEC opponent in Oklahoma, while head coach Sherrone Moore will square off against his alma mater, as long as he's not suspended by the NCAA.
Underwood will be making his first road start, on a national TV game. The Sooners struggled last season, but were still tough at home, drubbing Alabama.
Oklahoma was also active in the transfer portal, adding one of the top quarterbacks in John Mateer. Jaydn Ott, just like Mateer, transferred from Cal. He was one of the best running backs available in the portal.
However, it's easy to forget that Cal wasn't that good last season. The Sooners added the best back and quarterback from a 6-7 team in the ACC. The Sooners have better pieces, but still. The offensive line is also a major question mark.
You could say the same about Michigan football. However, the Wolverines' defensive front will own the game. Ott won't get much traction. Mateer will experience what Jalen Milroe did the past two seasons, and Michigan will win a defensive war.
Michigan 20, Oklahoma 17.
Central Michigan (Sept. 13) : W
Central Michigan is the second non-conference opponent of Michigan's to have a new head coach. Matt Drinkall took over for Jim McElwain who "retired" after the 2024 season.
Regardless of what happened between Central Michigan and Connor Stalions, if that was really him on the sideline in East Lansing, it didn't help Michigan at all.
If Stalions was there, he was there to help CMU. In 2025, the Chippewas are picked eighth in the MAC. Quarterback Joe Labas is expected to be the starter after throwing seven touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. He had a QBR of 35.
This should be a cakewalk for the Wolverines. The offense should have a field day, and Bryce Underwood should be resting for most of the second half.
Michigan 42, Central Michigan 13
At Nebraska (Sept. 20): L
Heading to Lincoln with a 3-0 record for the Big Ten opener would be ideal. Michigan football could be without Sherrone Moore for this game, and either way, Memorial Stadium will be rocking.
Matt Rhule has played up the sign-stealing thing a few times, so Nebraska fans will be frothing. Dylan Raiola was in a similar situation to Underwood last season. As a sophomore, he should be much improved.
The Huskers added Elijah Pritchett (Alabama) and Rocco Spindler (Notre Dame) from the transfer portal to address the offensive line. They have also upgraded in a major way at wide receiver with Dane Key (Kentucky) and Nyziah Hunter (Cal). Their defense should be better, and if Moore isn't on the sidelines, I see the Huskers pulling this one out.
Nebraska's pass rush will be better than expected. New DC John Butler was a secondary guru for the Bills, and might be able to trip up Underwood once or twice in a key moment, on the road.
Nebraska 24, Michigan 21
Wisconsin (Oct. 4): W
After a bye week, the Wisconsin Badgers come to town. Luke Fickell is on the hot seat, and after trying out the "Air Raid" offense, the Badgers are going back to basics.
That means pounding the rock. Wisconsin has a veteran offensive line with three returning starters. Billy Edwards, who nearly transferred to play for Michigan football, is expected to be the starting quarterback, while Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree are the top running back options.
Michigan should be able to open up the offense more due to Underwood. It's also hard to see the Badgers scoring 20 points in the Big House. By the end of the night, Edwards might be regretting his transfer decision, as the Badgers' run game will be stymied and he will get hit, a lot.
As a result, the Wolverines win this one by two scores and get their first win of Big Ten play with Underwood as the starting quarterback.
Michigan 27, Wisconsin 13
At USC (Oct. 11): L
The Trojans are a hard team to read. They won just seven games last season in their first in the Big Ten but did finish strong.
Jayden Maiava played well down the stretch for the Trojans after transferring from UNLV before the 2024 season. He had over 1,200 yards passing to go along with 11 touchdown passes and six intercpetions.
However, the QBR rating was 72. Maiava had at least three touchdown passes in three of the past four games. He also had multple interceptions twice, too.
USC should have one of the best passing games in the Big Ten. Lincoln Riley can still coach quarterbacks, so expect a big jump from Maiava in production. If Riley can coach the turnovers out of him, the offense could be special with dynamic wideouts Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane back in the fold.
USC also landed Eli Sanders, a 1,000-yard rusher in the portal from New Mexico. USC might not be a College Football Playoff team; however, winning in LA won't be easy, especially for the Wolverines, simply due to travel. Big Ten teams struggled in cross-country trips. Michigan has too over the years.
This will be an entertaining game, and USC ends up being just one of a few teams to crack 20 on Michigan this season. The Wolverines lose on a field goal late, maybe even in overtime. field goal
USC 27, Michigan 24
Washington (Oct. 18): W
Jedd Fisch is a good head coach. Washington is a program that should be on the rise again this season after falling back to 6-7 after making the national title game in the 2023 season.
Michigan football beat Washington in that national championship game, 34-13. Both teams have different head coaches and went through transition seasons.
Demond Williams took over as the starting quarterback down the stretch for Washington. His development is one of the reasons for excitement. Michigan has Underwood, after dealing with one of the worst QB situations in the sport last season.
If Davis Warren was still the quarterback for the Washington game last season, I bet the Wolverines find a way to win. Michigan was the better team, outside of QB. This year, the Wolverines will be better all around, and after a road loss, they'll make a point against the Huskies in a game that might feel a little like Northwestern in 2024.
It won't be as lopsided, but will feel like a turning point.
Michigan 34, Washington 10
At Michigan State (Oct. 25): W
This game always worries me, especially in East Lansing. Weird things happen in that stadium to the Wolverines such as one second mysteriously being left on the clock.
Michigan football is superior. The Wolverines have recruited better and have won three straight games in this rivalry. Jonathan Smith had the Spartans in position to win last season, but the Wolverines rallied late.
Aidan Chiles will be the starting quarterback once again. Michigan State should be solid on defense. That's Smith's specialty. This will be a low-scoring affair. It might even be "closer than the experts think" as ESPN's Lee Corso loves to say.
Chiles had 13 touchdown passes last season compared to 11 interceptions. He should take a step forward this season, but unless Michigan is minus one or two in takeaways, it's hard to see the Spartans pulling off this upset.
Purdue (Nov. 1): W
Another team on the schedule that has a first-year head coach is Purdue. The Boilermakers went 1-11 last season and fired head coach Ryan Walters.
Barry Odom, the former UNLV head coach takes over. Purdue has imported a bunch of transfers to its roster, but it's not a stretch to say the Boilermakers are one of the least talented teams in the Big Ten.
Devin Mockobee is back after rushing for 687 yards last season. Ryan Browne, who played in eight games with four touchdowns and three interceptions is back at QB, along with former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton.
Regardless of who starts, Purdue will struggle to move the ball. They ranked 130th in scoring offense last season and 131st in scoring defense. The Boilermakers will likely improve, it would be hard not to improve, but this should be another win for Michigan football.
This might be the easiest Big Ten game on the schedule, although in this conference, no game is easy. By this time of the season, Underwood will have eight games under his belt. Things will start to slow down, and other pieces should start to emerge.
Andrew Babalola might be ready to start at left tackle, which would allow Evan Link to bump inside to guard. There are other freshman who could be ready for bigger roles by this point in the season such as wide receiver Andrew Marsh or cornerback Shamari Earls.
Either way, Michigan wins a boring game against Purdue.
Michigan 27, Purdue 9
At Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Michigan football will play the first of back-to-back road games against Northwestern, which struggled to a 4-8 record last season.
David Braun has notched some impressive wins, though, and the Wildcats are still a team that tends to overachieve.
Preston Stone, the former SMU quarterback, was brought in to be the starter. The offensive line has some decent pieces, particualrly Caleb Tiernan, an offensive tackle from the state of Michigan.
The defense will be fundamentally sound. Anto Saka is a name to know on the defensive line. This game will be played in Martin Stadium. It was built for soccer and lacrosse. It seats 12,000 so that makes for another interesting element in this matchup.
The Wildcats shouldn't give Michigan too much trouble. However, you can't take anything for granted in the Big Ten
Michigan destroyed Northwestern in 2024. With plenty of players back who experienced that, the Wildcats will be motivated for this game. It will be more competitive; the result won't be different, though.
Michigan 24, Northwestern 13
At Maryland (Nov. 22)
If this prediction proves to be accurate, Michigan football will be 8-2 after the first 10 games of the season. The Wolverines would be in the thick of the playoff race.
This Maryland game, or whatever game is ahead of "The Game," is a trap game. It doesn't mean Michigan won't be as focused, but it's hard not to look ahead.
One thing that will help is the playoff chase. Michigan won't have any margin for error, so the stakes will be high, especially if Maryland just needs a win or two to reach the postseason.
Like Michigan, Maryland is expected to have a true freshman starting quarterback. Malik Washington was also ranked in the top 100 coming out of high school. It's one of the biggest commitments landed by Mike Locksley.
Pep Hamilton, the former Michigan OC, has taken over as the play-caller. The Terps lost tons of players to the transfer portal after a 4-8 campaign. The Wolverines might be looking ahead to Ohio State. We have seen that before, but Michigan will be too much for Maryland.
Michigan 31, Maryland 20
Ohio State (Nov. 29): W
It all comes down to this.
Michigan football would have two conference losses, according to this prediction, so a Big Ten title game berth will probably be out of reach. Yet, a win over Ohio State would get Michigan into the playoff.
If Michigan has nine or even eight wins heading into the final game, depending on how they got them, the Wolverines could be playing for a playoff spot. Ohio State will probably be higher ranked and will be the favorite, as they have been three of the past four years (four straight losses).
Jeremiah Smith has guaranteed a win. Sherrone Moore even agreed that he's the best player in college football this week. Caleb Downs isn't far behind. Yet, Ohio State had those guys last year, plus a veteran quarterback, better running backs, and an elite defensive line.
Ohio State has plenty of talent. At wide receiver, at running back, on the D-line. That's not an issue but Michigan is talented, too. The Wolverines loaded up at running back, adding some elite talent on the offensive line, and supplemented in key areas on defense.
TJ Metcalf will be a steal. Rod Moore's return will be huge and he'll be 100 percent by "The Game."
Underwood will be making his first start in this rivalry. So will Julian Sayin. He'll have to do it on the road. And he'll need to beat Michigan without a running game, because I still don't see the Buckeyes' offensive line winning the battle up front. In fact, it won't even be close.
Sayin will be pressured all day, sort of like CJ Stroud in 2021. He'll put up big numbers. Smith will actually make an impact this season, unlike 2024, when he was invisible for the entire second half, but again what has changed?
Michigan prepares for this game 365 days a year. Ohio State doesn't. Not anymore. Ryan Day still doesn't get it. The Buckeyes will get out-rushed and out-manned on both lines in what ends up as the fifth straight win for Michigan.
Michigan 26, Ohio State 20