Michigan’s first season under Kyle Whittingham is almost here, and the range of outcomes is wide enough to make the whole thing fascinating.
The Wolverines are seven weeks from kickoff, 49 days out, and the cleanest way to move on from the Sherrone Moore era is to let the next one start on the field. Whittingham arrives with the kind of reputation that fits Michigan perfectly: steady, respected, and built for the long haul.
There’s real reason to think the roster can support a big year. Michigan should be able to run the ball with anyone, and there’s plenty of optimism around the offensive line, the defensive line, and the backs.
Savion Hiter sounds like a star. On paper, the Wolverines have five-star talent at quarterback, running back, and EDGE, plus top-100 players and proven pieces all over the roster.
The biggest swing factor is Bryce Underwood. If Michigan is going to chase the playoff or win its biggest games, he has to take a major step.
Some people are too quick to bury him. Dante Moore completed 53.9 percent of his passes as a true freshman and finished with 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
CJ Carr didn’t even start as a freshman. Underwood played instead of sitting on the bench, and that experience should matter.
He still says he believes he’s the best quarterback, and this season gives him a chance to prove it.
The schedule, though, is brutal. Michigan draws Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State, and all four of those teams made the College Football Playoff last season.
Add Iowa, a nine-win team from a year ago, and Penn State, and there just aren’t many easy nights on the calendar. Michigan State is not a given with Pat Fitzgerald, and Minnesota is always a fight.
The worst-case scenario starts with Underwood looking the same as he did last season. If that happens, the Wolverines could still be competitive at home - they beat a nine-win Washington team in Ann Arbor last year - but losing two or more of those big games could leave them with eight wins or fewer, which would be a major letdown in Whittingham’s first season.
That would almost certainly include a loss to Ohio State. Even then, the defense should be solid and, by all accounts, better than it was a year ago.
The best-case version looks a lot different. Underwood turns into a completely new quarterback.
The offensive line matures under Jim Harding. Hiter becomes the kind of weapon people around the program are hinting at.
If the defensive line is as good as expected and the linebacker buzz is real, Michigan could field one of the best defenses in the country.
In that scenario, beating Indiana and Oklahoma at the Big House puts a playoff spot within reach before the trip to Columbus. A win over Ohio State in year one would be the dream outcome for Whittingham, even if that still feels like a long shot. Ohio State may well win that game, but it should not feel like the gap between the programs is as wide as it did at the end of the Sherrone Moore era.
A 10-2 season and a playoff berth would be a huge success. A 9-3 finish with a home win over Oklahoma or Indiana looks like the most realistic landing spot.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Made A Warde Manuel Decision Fans Wont Ignore
Michigans athletic department is heading into a major transition, with University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso announcing that Warde Manuel will step down as athletics director at the end of the calendar year. The move comes in the wake of an outside review of the departments culture, a report that pointed to problems with oversight and accountability even as it stopped short of finding widespread misconduct.
For Wolverines fans, the timing matters because this is not just a routine leadership shuffle. Manuel is being asked to stay in place for now as the university begins sorting through reforms, and a national search for his successor is coming next. The next few months will say a lot about how Michigan wants to reset its athletic department and who will be trusted to guide that process. [Read more 🡒]
Former Michigan Staffer Resurfaces In NFL As Sherrone Moore Drama Lingers
Paige Shiver, who previously worked as an executive assistant in Michigans athletic department, has reportedly landed with the Chicago Bears organization as the fallout around her time in Ann Arbor continues to follow her. Her name has remained part of a broader story tied to former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, and the latest move gives her a new NFL setting even as the old questions have not gone away.
Shiver is still involved in a lawsuit against the University of Michigan over public records the school has withheld in connection with her past relationship with Moore. Michigan has refused those requests, pointing to an ongoing investigation, and the dispute has kept the matter in the public eye even as Shiver moves on professionally. The new job may mark a fresh start, but the legal fight around her Michigan tenure is still very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made A Massive Leadership Change Fans Will Feel
Warde Manuels run as Michigans athletic director is coming to an end after nearly a decade guiding one of the most scrutinized jobs in college sports. Manuel, a former Wolverine defensive tackle who has led the department since 2016, announced he will step down at the end of the year, setting up a major leadership transition for an athletic department that has spent plenty of time in the spotlight.
The move comes with the department still digesting the findings of an internal Jenner & Block review that examined structural and administrative problems inside Michigan athletics. Manuel will stay on through Dec. 31 to help with the handoff before shifting into a special adviser role for the university president, leaving the next phase of the departments direction to be sorted out in the months ahead. [Read more 🡒]