Michigan hasn't looked perfect this season - far from it, honestly - but the growth has been there with each game, each quarter. The Wolverines are prone to slow starts this season, but tend to find their rhythm as the game goes on, which could categorize them as a second-half team.
With a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham, slow starts aren't completely surprising, as this team is still finding its identity with the new coaching staff. College football analyst Joel Klatt actually believes this could be the most dangerous thing about Michigan.
"What I am starting to see from Michigan is a team that gets better and starts learning its own identity every single quarter," Klatt said. "They get more confident in who they are, the way that they want to win every quarter, and that's a dangerous thing because this is still a talented team."
This Michigan team is learning their identity.
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) September 23, 2026
Checking in with @joelklatt on whether they can make the CFP. pic.twitter.com/RkYselXsFk
Michigan being a second-half team isn't the worst thing
Sure, being a second-half team isn't the best thing in the world, but it is always better to start slow and finish strong than to start strong and lose it in the end. Look at what happened to Ohio State against Texas: the Buckeyes had a very strong start, but couldn't hold on in the second half, allowing Texas to come back and score 21 unanswered points.
In all three games this season, Michigan has started slow. The only exception was in Week 1 vs. Western Michigan, when the Wolverines scored on their first offensive drive, but that drive was scripted in the offseason. After that, the offense really struggled to even get down the field.
However, in the second of all three games, the Michigan defense came out to play, and by that I mean they weren't allowing much to opposing teams. Sure, Oklahoma scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter, but that was aided by two undisciplined, unsportsmanlike penalties. Other than that, Oklahoma scored a field goal to tie it up, but then the defense went and got an interception that turned the tide.
Michigan has performed well enough in the first half of games to go into the half with a lead, even if it's small, which sets the Wolverines up for a strong second half. That allows the offense to make adjustments to get the job done and the defense to catch its breath and go out and dominate opponents.
No team wants to be playing its best football of the season right now. It needs to be a gradual growth as the season goes on, which so far has been true for Michigan. The Wolverines are nowhere near playing their best football, but the improvement has been there each week, which is what makes this team so dangerous.
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