2024 College Football Preview: Michigan Wolverines

 Written By: Danny Albers 

The first season for Michigan under head coach Jesse Minter in the post Jim Harbaugh era comes at a unique time for the B10 conference. Michigan will now play former Pac 12 teams, three to be exact as USC, Washington, and Oregon join the conference. This is as challenging a schedule as Michigan has ever faced in the history of their program. Their schedule contains two participants from last year's CFP, including a National title rematch, a road game with rival Ohio State, a high octane offense in USC, and tough B10 teams like Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana. Here’s a look at the official schedule for Michigan. 

1. Sat, Aug 31 Fresno State 

2. Sat, Sep 7 Texas 

3. Sat, Sep 14 Arkansas State 

4. Sat, Sep 21 USC 

5. Sat, Sep 28 Minnesota 

6. Sat, Oct 5 @ Washington 

7. Sat, Oct 19 @ Illinois 

8. Sat, Oct 26 Michigan State 

9. Sat, Nov 2 Oregon 

10. Sat, Nov 9 @ Indiana 

11. Sat, Nov 23 Northwestern 

12. Sat, Nov 30 @ Ohio State 

Roster Questions 

Alex Orji is a really talented player and a fine selection to take over for JJ McCarthy. Replacing the winningest quarterback in program history is a huge task, but I think Donovan Edwards and the coaching staff should help put him in a spot to succeed. Michigan will likely slot Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle at the back-up spot due to his experience, and let Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, Jadyn Davis continue their development. Orji and Donovan Edwards could become a really dangerous duo for Michigan. We saw them give Orji some playing time last season in the run game and he did really well. His ability to pass the ball is yet to be seen, but Michigan’s identity has and alway will be on the ground. There might be some growing pains early, but I have no doubt this kid could lead Michigan to at least 10 wins this season. 

Schedule BreakDown & Predictions

Opening Night

It’s possible and likely that Michigan finds themselves in a bit of a championship hangover to start the 2024 season. But once they get going I think they will be just fine. Fresno State is always a weird team to place on opening night. Their sporadic and at times explosive offense make for a nightmare of an early season opponent. But even though the offense will come out and struggle a bit, I still expect this to be a showcase opportunity for the defense. I think Michigan will pull away later in the game by effectively running the ball and picking up a strong win in the opener. 

Playoff Preview 

A clash of legendary programs who made it to the CFP last year will square off in a week 2 battle. Texas and Michigan will lock horns for supremacy in the rankings. Texas is poised to make a run for a National Championship. A lot of the same faces are back, and this team proved that they can beat the big names last season. With a mix of solid defense, a strong running game, and Quinn Ewers at the helm, Texas is a problem. And with Michigan shuffling to replace JJ McCarthy early on makes them vulnerable. Texas will win this game. 

Old Big 10 Foes  

As long as Michigan can still play solid defense and run the ball effectively, they should have no problem against the usual suspects they’ve seen on a yearly basis. They still have NCAA 25 cover athlete Donovan Edwards at running back who should have a big season now that he’s the guy in the backfield. Defensively, even if Michigan takes a serious step back on defense, I don’t see Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, or Michigan State doing any sort of significant damage to the Wolverines. Expect low scoring traditional B10 football in those games, and expect Michigan to reign supreme. 

New Big 10 Games

This is the part of Michigan’s schedule where I think we see a bit of a slippery slope. These are tough games to place into the schedule. But besides flying to Washington, in the middle of the season, travel shouldn’t be that difficult. USC comes to Michigan, which I like Michigan’s chances. They should have no problem establishing the run against USC, and their defense in front of a roaring crowd should limit the air raid USC offense. USC is trying to replace their entire offensive identity, so it’s possible that they get off to a slow star as well. I think we can expect a massive dip in Washington as well. This is an upset pick as Michigan has to fly out to Washington to play in unfamiliar territory. Washington making it to the National Title game last year was a surprise, but it was years in the making. Even before Kalen DeBoer, Michael Penix, and Rome Odunze, this program was successful. But I think this year is going to be a bit of a transition year for The Huskies. With all the distractions of Jim Harbaugh’s suspension, Jesse Minter kept this team disciplined throughout some extremely difficult games, including a victory over rival Ohio State. I trust that Jesse Minter should have no problem keeping this team disciplined and focused through a tough travel week. The last of the former Pac 12 teams on Michigan’s schedule is Oregon, and this is where I think Michigan will run into problems. Dillon Gabriel is an early Heisman favorite, and if that fails, Dante Moore transferred from UCLA to play backup for a season. This is a talented team, and I think they will be every bit as good as people make them out to be. Oregon is also the only former P12 team that can disrupt Michigan’s running game. I think Oregon will shock people in their first trip to The Big House. 

The Game 

Lincoln Kienholz and Kansas State transfer Will Howard are locked in a competition for starter at Ohio State. There’s nothing about Ryan Day’s team that jumps out at me. They’ll likely have a top level defense again, but there are some questions on offense. Ohio State will be good, but can they win the big one? And Michigan has run the ball all over Ohio State in recent years, and if Donovan Edwards is healthy, it could be another ground based attack by the Wolverines. I’m taking Michigan to beat their bitter rivals, and get their 10th win of the season. With a 12 team playoff bracket, Michigan could find themselves playing for a National Championship again. 

1. Sat, Aug 31 Fresno State Win (1-0)

2. Sat, Sep 7 Texas Loss (1-1)

3. Sat, Sep 14 Arkansas State Win (2-1)

4. Sat, Sep 21 USC Win (3-1) 

5. Sat, Sep 28 Minnesota Win (4-1)

6. Sat, Oct 5 @ Washington Win (5-1 

7. Sat, Oct 19 @ Illinois Win (6-1)

8. Sat, Oct 26 Michigan State Win (7-1)

9. Sat, Nov 2 Oregon Loss (7-2)

10. Sat, Nov 9 @ Indiana Win (8-2) 

11. Sat, Nov 23 Northwestern Win (9-2)

12. Sat, Nov 30 @ Ohio State Win (10-2) 

Final Word 

I think Michigan is in really good hands and they have a lot to be excited about after coming off a National Championship. I think Jim Harbaugh trained his staff to prepare to replace him one day knowing an offer like the one he got from the Chargers was due to come. Michigan is a hot bed for talented players looking to play for glory, and they’ve had a lot of success putting players on both sides of the ball in the league. This is the place to play, and I think the reign of Michigan football is just beginning.