Big Ten Media Days are here, and Michigan football is walking into them with a new coach, a new quarterback conversation, and a preseason poll that doesn’t exactly scream belief.
Cleveland.com’s annual Big Ten preseason poll landed Michigan at No. 5 in the league, behind Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and USC. Ohio State was picked to win the conference, something the Buckeyes haven’t done since 2020.
For Michigan, that slot feels about right at this stage. The Wolverines have not done enough yet to belong in the top tier of the league, and USC’s blowout win over Michigan in Los Angeles last season is still part of the picture. Lincoln Riley, too, has started to look like he has a better handle on the Big Ten.
The bigger story in Ann Arbor this week is Kyle Whittingham, who is set for his first Big Ten Media Days appearance as Michigan’s head coach on Thursday. He’s no stranger to the spotlight, but there will be plenty of curiosity around what he says and how he frames this team heading into the season.
The predictions around Michigan have been all over the place. Some projections have the Wolverines winning eight or nine games.
One college football expert went even lower, forecasting a seven-win season. That would be a rough opening chapter for the Kyle Whittingham era, but the schedule gives the skeptics some cover.
Michigan has Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State on the slate. The good news is that Oklahoma, Indiana, Penn State and Iowa all come to the Big House. If the Wolverines are going to push toward the College Football Playoff, they may need to be close to perfect at home.
Still, the biggest swing factor is Bryce Underwood. A lot of people seem ready to dismiss him before the season even starts, but that ignores how much growth can happen with real game reps. Dante Moore had his own first-year bumps before eventually developing into a possible No. 1 pick, and Underwood has already gotten plenty of on-the-job training.
He also gets a dedicated quarterbacks coach this season.
There are other variables in play, but Underwood is the one that can change the whole shape of this offense. If he takes the expected step forward, Michigan’s attack should look nothing like it did a year ago. And if that happens, the Wolverines can absolutely finish better than fifth in the Big Ten.
Michigan has the roster. It has the coach again, too. Now it’s time to see if the results match the pieces.
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What makes the criticism linger is how complete that season looked once the games were played. Michigan still handled Michigan State after the story broke, survived the Penn State game without Jim Harbaugh on the sideline, and then ran through a title path that ended with the sports biggest prize. Even now, the argument over how much the scandal should define that run remains part of the backdrop whenever Michigans championship comes up. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Set To Host A Quarterback Recruit Fans Need To Watch
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Howards visit comes as his recruitment has picked up across the country, with a growing list of programs involved. Michigan is also trying to build on the momentum from its summer work with four-star linebacker Andre Alexander, who left his June visit with a strong impression of the program and a clear sense of what matters most to him as his recruitment moves forward. [Read more 🡒]