The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 121 EASIEST GAME: Sept. 14 vs. Arkansas State The Red Wolves made a bowl game last season and appear to be on an upward trajectory under head coach Butch Jones, but they will be overmatched against Michigan Sept. 14 at The Big House. Big Ten teams are 36-4 against the Sun Belt (U-M is 1-0), and the Maize and Blue have dominated non-Power Five competi- tion over the last three seasons, winning by an average margin of 39.4 points in eight contests. TRAP GAME: Sept. 28 vs. Minnesota The Golden Gophers will catch Michigan coming off a presumably tough game against USC (Sept. 21) and ahead of a road trip to Washington (Oct. 5). Remem- ber, the Wolverines were in a similar situation last fall, when they found them- selves in a dogfight at Maryland in between matchups with Penn State and Ohio State. Minnesota also brings back nine defensive starters, most of its offensive line and a stable of solid running backs. BEST ROAD ENVIRONMENT: Oct. 5 at Washington Washington hasn't lost at home since 2021, due to great play on the field and fantastic support in the stands. Husky Stadium, which was built in 1920, has a capacity of 70,138 — the highest figure for any road stadium U-M will play in this regular season besides Ohio State. Washington is expected to put together a good product and may well be undefeated ahead of the Oct. 5 national championship game rematch, so there will be significant juice in the building. BEST HOME ATMOSPHERE: Sept. 7 vs. Texas Michigan has a great home schedule that features tilts versus Texas (Sept. 7), USC (Sept. 21), Michigan State (Oct. 26) and Oregon (Nov. 2). The buzz inside (and outside) The Big House for the game against the Longhorns, though, might just be the best. It'll be U-M's annual "Maize Out," and the average high for Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor is 76 degrees, per WeatherSpark. It should be a beautiful day for a football clash between two of the most prestigious programs in the sport. BEST ROAD TRIP: Oct. 5 at Washington Husky Stadium is consistently ranked as one of the most scenic venues in the sport, and "sailgating" is one of the most unusual traditions in the country. That's right, fans hit Lake Washington, located right next to the stadium, to tailgate by boat. Washington is one of three college football destinations where fans "sailgate," joining Tennessee and Baylor, both of which have rivers near their stadiums. According to University of Washington Magazine, as many as 3,400 fans reach Husky Stadium by water for each game. "You'll find everything from small skiffs to 94-foot yachts full of exuberant fans taking in the views before the game," the publication wrote. THE GAME: Nov. 30 at Ohio State Michigan currently owns a three-game winning streak in the rivalry (2021 and '23 in Ann Arbor, and 2022 in Columbus) and has the chance to further stake its claim with another triumph. U-M hasn't beaten rival Ohio State four straight meetings since 1988-91. The 1988 (34-31) and 1990 (16-13) victories marked the last time the Wolverines took down the Buckeyes in back-to-back games in Columbus, too. Michigan Schedule Superlatives Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. has played and started 27 games for the Longhorns. He shared earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023 and is a preseason All-American this year. PHOTO COURTESY TEXAS ATHLETICS OL Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas — Athlon (1st team), Lindy's (1st team) S Caleb Downs, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team), Lindy's (1st team) WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team), Lindy's (2nd team) OL Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota — Lindy's (1st team), Athlon (2nd team) OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team), Lindy's (2nd team) RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State — Lindy's (1st team), Athlon (2nd team) DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team), Lindy's (2nd team) CB Denzel Burke, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team) PR Zachariah Branch, USC — Athlon (1st team) RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State — Athlon (1st team) QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon — Athlon (2nd team), Lindy's (2nd team) OL Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon — Athlon (2nd team) WR Tez Johnson, Oregon — Athlon (2nd team) OL Jonah Monheim, USC — Lindy's (2nd team) DE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State — Athlon (2nd team) WR Evan Stewart, Oregon — Athlon (2nd team) LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon — Athlon (3rd team) OL Ajani Cornelius, Oregon — Athlon (3rd team) CB Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon — Athlon (3rd team) DL Tyleik Williams, Ohio State — Athlon (3rd team Opponents On Preseason All-America Teams Preseason top-5 pick Oregon landed prolific quar- terback Dillon Gabriel from the transfer portal in the offseason. After three seasons at Central Florida and the past two at Oklahoma, Gabriel ranks tied for fourth in NCAA history in career total touchdowns (152), seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865) and eighth in passing touch- downs (125). PHOTO BY ERIC EVANS/GODUCKS.COM