The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2. Sept. 7 vs. Texas Michigan fans have missed the elite nonconference matchups of the 1980s and 1990s, and seeing Texas on the slate gets the juices flowing. The Longhorns are in just about everyone's top 5 after making the playoff a year ago, feature an outstanding quarterback in Quinn Ewers and are loaded on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines will have an early chance to show where they stand when this team comes to Ann Arbor. 3. Nov. 2 vs. Oregon The loaded Ducks might turn out to be the toughest team on the schedule. Most publications and pundits had them in their top 3 heading into the summer, and rightfully so. Head coach Dan Lanning landed Oklahoma quarter- back Dillon Gabriel to replace Bo Nix, part of Oregon's "spare no expense" strategy in building a roster, similar to Ohio State's. This should be a fun one in Ann Arbor. 4. Sept. 21 vs. USC The Trojans won't have a Heisman candidate like Caleb Williams at quarterback, but this is a big-name program with plenty of talent. Head coach Lincoln Riley will replace Williams with Miller Moss, who threw a record 6 touchdown passes in a Holiday Bowl win over Louisville and "played at a really high level" in the spring, per Riley. The coach also believes his of- fensive line will be more capable of moving people off the ball. The big question — can the USC defense stop anyone? Michigan will find out early. 5. Oct. 5 at Washington The Huskies lost a huge amount of talent from last year's national runners-up, but new head man (and former Michi- gan assistant) Jedd Fisch is an outstanding coach. He's also got a veteran quarterback in Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers, who threw for a school record 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns and set SEC records for single-season (505 in 2021) and career (1,264) completions. It's tough to win on the road against a West Coast team. Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart and Michigan made life difficult for Ohio State and its quar- terback Kyle McCord in last year's 30-24 victo- ry. Michigan has won three straight matchups in "The Game" and holds a 61-51-6 advantage in the rivalry that dates back to 1897. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Top Five Most Anticipated Games Oh, how the tables have turned in this rivalry. The Buckeyes sold out with what was reported to be one of the largest NIL budgets in college football after losing their third straight game to the Wolverines. Their contributions increased overwhelmingly after Michigan won the national title. That puts the pressure squarely on them to stop the bleeding and win for the first time since 2019, and they'll get their shot at home. Michigan has owned the trenches in the last three meetings with its rival and could have the advantage again this year, depending on how the offensive line shakes out. You can be confident that this U-M squad won't be intimidated playing in the Horseshoe and will travel to Columbus expecting to win that game. 1. Nov. 30 at Ohio State